Assassin
by Adalon Ithilriel
Summary: This is a sequel to my Far From Over fic. It tells the story of Ravyn, Selene and Michael's daughter. As the first born hybrid, she has the unique ability of being able to readand controlpeople's minds. Please review! Chapter 11 finally UP!
1. Dark Lady

A/N: I know I said I'd get this out fairly fast after Far From Over was finished, but then the trip to Colorado came up, and of course, I couldn't go because I had summer school and you can't miss more than one day. So I had to stay at my cousin's house, and thus had no computer access. I'm in summer school to get rid of my dumb ass health credit, because I don't want to take it in Senior High (Texas has THE MOST fucked up school system on the face of the PLANET) and you need it to graduate. So I am forced to sit through five and half hours of droning. I wrote chapter one and two of this thing in health, and am in the process of chapter three. Only two more days of torture though, and then it is pure, unadulterated summer, so I can't really promise speedy updates until school starts (isn't it odd how that works?) but I will try. The second chapter is really really long (twenty pages in my notebook! Are you proud of me moose?) so I don't know how long it will take me to type. This story mostly focuses on Ravyn, but there will be a bit of Selene/Michael in here, and there is a romance in store for Ravyn, and you will know who in the second chapter (although, if you thought about it, you could figure it out from this chappie.) If you will recall from Far From Over, Selene's dreams about killing Michael? That issue will be resolved in this fic, as will the issue of Kraven. I did mention in Far From Over's epilogue that this was a slight crossover with some of my original stuff. In the first chapter, there aren't any crossover characters, but there are three in chapter two, and somewhere along chapter five or six a fourth will appear. I will do my best to explain those characters in the ending note of whatever particular chapter they are in. Wow, that was a really long author's note! I'll just shut up now and let you read.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any Underworld characters, namely Selene, Michael, Kraven, Marcus, or Erika. All OCs are mine.  
  
  
  
Assassin  
  
Chapter 1: Dark Lady  
  
Ravyn walked down the dark Chicago streets, stiletto heels clicking on the frozen sidewalk with each step. A light December snow was beginning to fall, snowflakes lightly misting her raven hair. She wasn't chilled by the weather, despite the black spaghetti strap shirt and knee-length black skirt. Her pale complexion, gray eyes, and long black hair, combined with the effect of falling snow made her look like an ice goddess.  
  
Chicago streets are busy at any hour of the day or night, and the people still out stared at Ravyn. She knew they looked, but she ignored them, as she always did.  
  
The snow wasn't sticking, for which Ravyn was grateful. She had a high tolerance for cold, but not so high that she could walk through the snow in the shoes she was wearing.  
  
She turned a corner and walked a few yards to a nightclub. She paid a guard at the door and went inside. The throbbing beat of the music surrounded her as she stood in the shadows near the bar. Nearly everyone in the club was half drunk on either the music or the strong liquor the bar served, and in many cases, both. Ravyn smiled to herself. This would only make her job easier.  
  
Carefully, Ravyn slid across the minds of the people in the club, like water over rocks, searching for a specific man. When she found him, she withdrew from his mind, leaving a residue of power behind, marking him with an ebony glow only she could see.  
  
She shut her eyes, and when she opened them, her pale gray eyes had gone a dark brown. Her wavy black hair framed her face, increasing the contrast of her pale skin. She scanned the room, looking for the ebony glow. She found it surrounding a man at the bar. He had four empty beer bottles near him and was drinking out of a nearly-empty fifth. Ravyn slipped into his mind again and noticed with a mix of disgust and pleasure that he was very drunk.  
  
She felt eyes on her and withdrew from the man's mind to meet the eyes of the lead singer of the band on stage. She smiled; he was an old friend, and former partner. She slipped into his mind, looking for a song.  
  
_Play this_, she whispered into his mind when she found it. He nodded and signaled to his band.  
  
They began to play a slow, sensual song with a haunting melody. Ravyn smiled as the lead singer's familiar voice joined the music. She had taken belly dancing lessons when she had first arrived in Chicago and now she put them to good use, flawlessly performing a routine she made anew each time she danced it.  
  
The eyes of several people turned to her, and she smiled seductively, sensing the rise of lust in the room. Her eyes shut as she did a descending hip roll, her head tilting slightly.  
  
As her hips rolled towards the floor, she focused her attention on the man at the bar. She slipped into his mind and subtly redirected his attention away from the beer he seemed intent on drowning himself in and towards the dance floor. His eyes found her easily, without any mental prodding from her. She was, after all, now the center of everyone's attention.  
  
She rolled her hips back up, her skirt swaying from her hips seductively and she could almost feel the heavy breathing of the men surrounding her. She amplified the natural lust that had entered the man's mind when he saw here, pulling it to the front of his mind. She instilled in his mind an overwhelming desire to dance with her and he stood from his bar stool and began walking towards her.  
  
Ravyn kept her seductive smile as he approached and didn't stop dancing, even when he asked to dance with her.  
  
She nodded and said, "I'd love to," disguising her natural British accent with a thick Chicago one, and pitching her voice lower than normal, hoping he'd take the bait by himself.  
  
He did.  
  
She kept her grip on his mind firm as she danced close, moving her hips enticingly to the music. She put her arms around his neck, looking into his lust- and beer-befuddled eyes. They were green and were straying down to the V-neck of her shirt.  
  
Resisting the urge to pull away and beat the shit out of him, she thought, _You are going to get what's coming to you Seth Parker. You will get what's coming.  
_  
When the song ended, Ravyn leaned forward and whispered seductively in his ear, "Let's go back to my apartment."  
  
From within his mind, she multiplied his inclination to agree.  
  
"Good idea." His voice was deep and thick with beer and lust.  
  
She took his hand and led him outside.  
  
"This way," she told him, leading him in a direction that would take them to small alleyway where they could conduct their business in private. Ravyn knew the way well, having taken men that way before on previous jobs.  
  
"Oh dear," she said, when he realized that they had hit a dead end. "I must have taken a wrong turn. Well, here's as good a place as any."  
  
She moved towards him, wrapping her hands around his neck, bringing his face towards hers. She kissed him slowly, gently, letting him taste her lips and stealing into his mind, multiplying the desire she found there. He increased the passion in the kiss and Ravyn forced herself not to choke with revulsion as his tongue slipped between her lips. She carefully extracted her mouth from his, trailing light kisses down his jaw to his neck. When she reached the pulsing jugular in his neck, she allowed her control to slip, just a little, and the fangs of a vampire emerged. Without hesitation, she sank her fangs deep into his neck, drinking the crimson lifeblood that flowed into her mouth.  
  
  
  
A/N: okay, before you flame me about hybrids, I gave Ravyn a few special abilities, such as the ability to change only into a vampire, and the mind control, which are explained further in the next chapter. Now, as I warned in the first author's note, it may take me awhile to get these chapters up, because my beta is not happy about the "fantasy element" of this story. Some chapters may go un-beta because of it. I did threaten to get a new beta if she wouldn't do it, and she said she would, but it may take her a bit. So please, bear with me on that. 


	2. Memory

A/N: Okay, this chappie is really long; the longest I've ever written. And I think it's a bit boring, partially because I wrote it all during summer school, which tells you just how boring health is. Please bear with me through this long a dull chapter. Chapter three gets interesting, I promise! But anyway, there are three original crossover characters: Evelyn Fay Chicaya and her daughters Adara and Amarice. Evelyn has magic and she travels to Other Worlds. In those other worlds, she becomes Adalon Ithilriel Chicaya, who is actually a different person. Adalon and Evelyn used to be Mary Sues, but they kind of evolved into non-Mary Sues. Adalon is A LOT pushier than I am, and it is very difficult to keep her out of things I write. She is extremely persistent. Evelyn is a bit more laid back than Adalon, and a lot easier to keep out of stuff, but she is still pushier than I am. Adara and Amarice also have magic. Their father, Alex Chicaya, is currently managing the affairs of Adalon's kingdom in one of the Other Worlds. I think that's all the explanation we need. Send me a review if any of my OCs confuse you.  
  
Disclaimer: all characters in this chapter, except Selene and Michael, are mine. Selene and Michael, however, don't own, don't sue. Got it?  
  
  
  
Chapter 2: Memory  
  
The first thing Ravyn did when she got back to her apartment was kick off her heels. She sighed with relief, collapsing onto her bed, massaging her aching feet.  
  
_I hate heels_, she thought. She let her feet drop to the floor, lying back on her bed. She stared up at the ceiling, focusing on a small dot on the ceiling. She cleared her mind, staring fixedly at the dot. When her mind was completely blank, she shut her eyes and relieved the night that had passed. It had been several weeks since she'd done a job, and consequently, several weeks since she had fed. She remembered the taste of his blood and ran her tongue along her lips in memory. Sometimes she regretted her choice of occupation. Something in her soul always twinged just before she killed her victim, but as she drank, all she thought of was the taste of the blood as it ran down her throat as her carnal instincts took over. And after, when she relived the death of her victim, remembering the feel of his pulse against her mouth, pushing the blood down her throat as she sucked hungrily and the sweet, slightly metallic taste of the lifeblood of her prey, she felt no remorse then. But between jobs, between killings, she regretted the deaths of those she killed.  
  
The man she had killed tonight, Seth Parker, had deserved what he got. He was a well known drug dealer and rapist. Most of Ravyn's victims came from the upper underworld, which is what the members of the Guild called the lesser criminals. Those who didn't kill. Ravyn often thought that, while her victims' deaths were certainly an effective way to get them off the street, she also wished that she did not have to be the one to do it.  
  
Ravyn was an assassin. She had come to Chicago two years ago, when she was seventeen. Her parents had not been thrilled, saying that an unfamiliar city, with unfamiliar faces was dangerous for someone like her. But she'd had to come. She couldn't have stayed in Budapest any longer. She had thought she was going insane there.  
  
  
  
_(Seven years ago)_  
  
It had started when she was ten. She had begun to hear voices when she was in a crowded room. When she'd finally told her mother, Selene had said, "Maybe it's something to do with being a hybrid. Let's ask your father."  
  
Her father, Michael, had frowned and said, "I'll ask Lucian. He's the expert on this and I know I haven't heard any voices."  
  
Lucian had also frowned and told them, "I'll look into it."  
  
But he hadn't found anything. It was her mother's friends, the Elders Kestral, the red-haired, green-eyed, Scotswoman, and Endainme En'Dae, the former Amazon queen, who found the answer. Since the system of leapfrogging had been abolished, both Kestral and Endainme En'Dae were awake to help.  
  
"Close your eyes," Endainme En'Dae commanded. "What do you hear?"  
  
Twelve-year-old Ravyn had obediently shut her eyes and listened. The room was not crowded, only her mother, Kestral and Endainme En'Dae were present. Ravyn did not expect to hear anything; previously she had never heard anything unless with at least six others. Nonetheless, she began to hear small whispers. One of the voices she recognized as Selene's, and she focused in on it.  
  
"I hope Endainme En'Dae knows what to do," Selene was saying. "I sure as hell don't. What if there's something seriously wrong with her?" A note of panic had entered her mother's voice. "Oh God, please don't let anything be wrong with her!"  
  
Ravyn's eyes snapped open and she stared at her mother. Selene's voice faded into the background with the other voices, her words becoming a jumble of syllables Ravyn could no longer understand.  
  
"You aren't talking," Ravyn said stupidly, staring at her mother's firmly closed mouth.  
  
Selene looked from her daughter to Endainme En'Dae and back. "Should I be?"  
  
"I heard you," Ravyn insisted.  
  
"Ah," Endainme En'Dae sighed. "I thought that was it."  
  
"What?" Selene said in a panicked voice, turning to the Elder. "What is it?"  
  
"Ravyn is hearing people's thoughts," Kestral explained. Selene gaped at her.  
  
"That's impossible."  
  
Kestral took a step forward and gently pushed Selene into a chair. Ravyn remained standing, staring, uncomprehending, at Endainme En'Dae.  
  
"Close your mouth, Selene," Kestral commanded. "You look like a fish."  
  
"That's not possible," Selene insisted. "How is that possible?"  
  
Endainme En'Dae led Ravyn to a chair and pulled up a chair so that she could sit and face both Ravyn and Selene.  
  
"Ravyn is the first born hybrid," she began. "And when she was conceived, Michael was still predominantly lycan, at least where it counts." She allowed herself a sly grin at Selene, causing the younger vampiress to blush furiously. "Both Lucian and Michael were lycans before they became hybrids," Endainme En'Dae continued. "Ravyn is a perfect blend of vampire and lycan. As a result, all her senses are very keen. That includes her mind's perception of what other people think and feel, so much that she can actually hear—if that's the right word—what people are thinking."  
  
"You mean those voices—they are actually people's thoughts?" Ravyn asked incredulously.  
  
Kestral nodded in unison with Endainme En'Dae.  
  
"There must be something I can do to stop," Ravyn said desperately. "If I keep hearing the voices, I think I'll go mad."  
  
Kestral smiled kindly at Ravyn and told her about a woman named Evelyn.  
  
"She's an old friend of ours. She's human, but she's not exactly...normal."  
  
"What do you mean, not normal?" Selene frowned.  
  
"She's immortal for one thing," Kestral explained. "For another, she's got what can only be called magic."  
  
"Magic isn't real," Selene scoffed.  
  
"It's a bit complicated," Kestral said. "But by my understanding of it, Evelyn's soul got switched with that of a woman in another world, where there is magic. So, as a result of the gods' mistake, she had magic."  
  
Selene stared at Kestral, her expression saying that she clearly thought Kestral had gone mad.  
  
"When her magic first began to manifest itself, when Evelyn was fourteen, she had mind-reading and mind-control powers. She currently lives in Chicago. I suggest you send Ravyn there to learn from Evelyn. Otherwise, she probably _will_ go mad."  
  
Selene stared first at Kestral, then at Endainme En'Dae, who nodded, and back at Kestral. She opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a loud knock on the door. Ravyn knew without looking that it was Khan, coming to take her to her fighting lesson. She stood as he put his head into the room.  
  
"You ready for your lesson, Ravyn?" he asked.  
  
She nodded mutely and followed him out of the room, glad to be out of the tense atmosphere.  
  
  
  
_(Present)_  
  
Ravyn stood from the bed, shifting her feet to avoid stepping on her haphazardly placed shoes. She stepped into bathroom, grabbing a towel from its hook on the wall. She flung the towel over the door of the shower. Reaching inside, she turned on the hot water. Stripping off her skirt and top, she stepped into the scalding water with a sigh of relief.  
  
  
  
_(Five years ago)_  
  
A week after the startling discovery had been made, after much arguing amongst the two Elders and Ravyn's parents, Ravyn, Kestral and Michael were on a private jet to Chicago, flying through the night sky. Ravyn, at 12, had never been on a plane before. She craned her neck, trying to see as much out the tiny, tinted window as she could. Michael, who was reading a medical magazine he had brought along, glanced up, chuckled at his daughter, and went back to reading.  
  
They landed in Chicago O'Hare several hours later. The sun set early in the north in January, so Kestral could get off the plane without worry.  
  
A tall, blonde woman was waiting for them in the terminal. Kestral saw her and waved, saying, "There's Evie!"  
  
Evelyn waved back and they waded through the crowd towards her. When they got her, Ravyn saw that she was nearly six feet tall and very beautiful. Her blonde hair fell in beautiful golden waves nearly to her waist and her eyes were a crystalline purple. Ravyn gaped at her. Not only did Evelyn look impressive, but there was also a strong aura of power about her. This was not a woman to be trifled with.  
  
Evelyn and Kestral embraced warmly.  
  
"Good to see you again, Kes," Evelyn said. "How was the flight?"  
  
Kestral shuddered. "Long. You know I hate flying!"  
  
Evelyn grinned. "Aye, I do," she said, in imitation of Kestral's native Scottish brogue. Kestral laughed and turned to Michael.  
  
"This is Michael," she told Evelyn.  
  
Michael and Evelyn shook hands and Evelyn said, "The first hybrid, eh?" Michael looked sharply at her and she smiled. "Don't worry; your secret's safe with me. I've known about you guys for years." She turned to Ravyn. "You must be Ravyn." Her purple eyes, while slightly disconcerting, were friendly and warm. Evelyn extended her hand to Ravyn and shook it warmly, giving it a brief, reassuring squeeze before she let go, making Ravyn wonder if Evelyn understood just how nervous she was.  
  
"Let's go," Evelyn said, turning and walking towards the baggage claim. After they had each grabbed their suitcases, the followed Evelyn out to her car and drove for an hour and half through the thick Chicago traffic. Ravyn marveled at the amount of people still on the streets. It was eight thirty, fully dark, and the streets were still full.  
  
When they arrived at Evelyn's house in a small town—village, actually, according to the sign they'd seen which read: Welcome to the Village of Cary—outside Chicago, it was ten o'clock, but Ravyn was wide awake. Inside her house, her two daughters were waiting in the kitchen. The older of the two, Adara, was sitting at the kitchen table, polishing a sword. The younger, Amarice, was standing by the oven, wiping chocolate crumbs off the counter.  
  
Adara was seventeen, two years older than Amarice. Both girls had their mother's purple eyes and wavy hair, though theirs was auburn. Adara's reached halfway down her back and Amarice's was short and bound up in a pony tail. Both girls were incredibly tall, almost as tall as their mother.  
  
Evelyn introduced them all, and when Adara shook Ravyn's hand, she gave her a curious look and said, "You've an interesting future ahead."  
  
"Adara has a touch of the Sight," Evelyn explained. She introduced Amarice, who was peering into the oven.  
  
"This is my youngest," Evelyn said, gesturing to her daughter, "Amarice."  
  
Hearing her name, Amarice turned and gave a little wave. "Like chocolate cake?" she asked Ravyn. She had a slight Chicago accent, which Ravyn would later learn to imitate.  
  
Ravyn nodded shyly and Amarice gestured her over. Ravyn crossed the kitchen obediently.  
  
"Nervous?" Amarice whispered to her. Ravyn nodded. "Don't be. Mom's a good teacher. And if you have a bad day, there's always the horses."  
  
"Horses?"  
  
"Yeah. Aunt Lisa owns the stables next door. You wanna see?"  
  
"Sure!"  
  
Amarice turned to her family. "Adara, would you take the cake out when the buzzer goes? I'm going to show Ravyn the horses."  
  
"Sure. Give Dancer a carrot, will you?"  
  
"Yeah." Amarice grabbed Ravyn's hand and pulled her outside. They walked across the large yard to a long building. Amarice opened the door and they walked into the stables. She ducked into the office on the right of the door and came back with four carrots.  
  
"Aunt Lisa keeps a supply of carrots and apples in her office," Amarice told Ravyn as they walked down the long aisle, passing several sleeping horses. The stable smelled strongly of horse—What else? Ravyn thought—and Ravyn found it strangely calming. Amarice stopped by the door of a stall. A very tall blood bay mare put her head over the door and bumped Amarice's shoulder with her nose, clearly asking for a treat. Amarice laughed and gave her the carrot.  
  
"This is Rustic Dream. She's Mom's horse."  
  
"She's beautiful," Ravyn breathed.  
  
"She's of the elven kind," Amarice told her. Ravyn looked at her curiously. "Mom brought her back from the Other World," Amarice said, as if that explained everything.  
  
"Oh." Ravyn stroked Rustic Dream's nose. Amarice patted the mare's neck and went to the next stall. The horse beside Rustic Dream was a palomino gelding a little shorter than Rustic Dream, with a blue halter that read Wind Dancer across the nose. He had a small white star on his forehead that was barely visible because his natural coat was so light.  
  
"Hey Dancer," Amarice said softly. "Got a carrot for you." Wind Dancer snorted with interest and walked up to the door. Amarice held out a carrot in the palm of her hand and Wind Dancer lipped it eagerly into his mouth. As the horse chewed contentedly, Amarice told Ravyn, "Dancer, and my horse, Dark Moon, are both Dream's foals." Amarice walked a little way down the aisle to another stall. Inside, there was a peculiarly colored mare. She was very dark, almost black, except for her mane and tail, which were a pure white.  
  
"This is my baby," Amarice said lovingly, opening the door to the stall. "She's only two years old, so she's younger than all the other horses here, but she's a sweetie. Can you hand me the box on the floor?" Amarice gave her horse the remaining carrot in her hand as Ravyn picked up the box filled with grooming supplies that rested near the door to Dark Moon's stall. She handed it over the top of the door, and Amarice took it, pulling out a curry comb. She slid the comb onto her hand and began to brush her horse. Dark Moon gave a little whinny of pleasure as Amarice brushed her neck. Amarice laughed and rubbed Dark Moon's nose.  
  
Ravyn watched her for a few minutes, then said, "May I ask you something?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"What's your, um, power?"  
  
Amarice stared at her blankly for a minute, then said, "Oh! My magic, you mean?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"I have general enchantress abilities, you know changing shape, disguises, invisibility, healing, that sort of thing, and I'm an empath. I used to be able to read minds, but I can't really do it anymore; now I can just sense emotions and the reason for them, and sometimes I can get an impression of what someone is thinking, but not very often."  
  
She looked at Ravyn. "You, for instance, are nervous about training with someone like my mother and about leaving your home, but you're also excited about it."  
  
"That's amazing," Ravyn exclaimed. "Will I be able to do that?"  
  
Amarice glanced up from Dark Moon's back, a small frown on her face. "I'm not sure. From what Mom's told me, what you've got isn't magic, it's sort of sixth sense. So we don't really know what you'll be to do. Mom and Adara have some guesses, but we don't really know anything for sure."  
  
As if summoned by her name, Adara opened the door to the stable.  
  
"Mom and Kes are going to fight!" she said excitedly. Amarice abandoned her brushing, dumping the curry comb into the grooming box, and started out of the stall, saying, "Really? With what?"  
  
"Sais for Mom, scimitars for Kestral. What else? They're both too attached to their weapons if you ask me."  
  
Amarice laughed and grabbed Ravyn's arm, pulling her out of the stable. "Come on. We can visit the horses later, this will be something to see."  
  
Adara led them to a lighted area in the backyard that must have been specially made for the purpose of fighting, because the grass had been stripped away in shape of a square, and the earth underneath was packed down, so as not to blow dust in the combatants' faces. Immediately, Ravyn noticed that both Evelyn and Kestral had changed clothes. Evelyn wore a long skirt with slits on both sides that reached halfway up her thighs, and a black spaghetti-strap shirt that bared her flat midriff. Her long blonde hair was bound back in a braid, and she had a wicked grin on her face.  
  
Kestral wore a form-fitting red gown, also with slits. Her thick red curls flew free and she, too, was grinning. Both women were barefoot, and they each held their weapons with a familiarity that made Ravyn wonder just what Kestral had been before she was turned. Michael stood a little ways off from the field, his cheeks red at seeing Evelyn and Kestral dressed so. Ravyn ignored her father, turning her attention to the fight about to begin.  
  
"Ready?" Evelyn said. Her voice was somehow different, in a subtle way Ravyn couldn't quite place, as though it had a different texture. There was a slight accent to it that Ravyn had never heard before.  
  
"Uh oh," Adara said under her breath as Kestral nodded.  
  
"What?" Ravyn asked.  
  
"Evelyn's let Adalon take over," Adara explained, her eyes fixed on the two circling women. "Kestral's going to get her ass kicked."  
  
"Who?" Ravyn asked, confused.  
  
"Adalon," Amarice repeated. "She's kinda like Mom's alter ego."  
  
"It's a bit more complicated than that," Adara said, almost absently, watching the fight that was about to unfold. "But that's fairly close." Neither of them would say anything more on the subject, as the fight had begun.  
  
Ravyn flinched as the blades struck each other and sparks flew. Evelyn's eyes seemed to grow an even more intense purple, and Kestral's green eyes sparkled with delight. She hadn't had a good fight in years; not since the fight with Endainme En'Dae when Ravyn was a baby.  
  
Ravyn watched the fight with growing interest. Evelyn was clearly the better fighter, but she let Kestral take the offensive. The design of the sais made for an excellent defensive weapon, and Evelyn had mastered the skill of allowing her opponent to take the offensive side of the fight, until an opening presented itself. Then, she would move quickly, swiftly disarming her opponent and moving in for the kill.  
  
Ravyn marveled at the women's skill. Kestral was a few hundred years older than Evelyn and yet the blonde woman was much better with her weapons.  
  
The fight ended a few moments later, when Evelyn suddenly surged forward, with the speed and grace of an experienced fighter, sending one of Kestral's scimitars flying. Before the Scotswoman could react, Evelyn had one sai pressed against Kestral's abdomen, the other at her throat.  
  
"You've gotten better," Evelyn said approvingly, stepping back. "Been practicing, have you?" Her voice was back to normal now.  
  
"Aye," Kestral said with a sigh, going to retrieve her fallen scimitar. "And I thought I'd be able to beat you, too."  
  
Evelyn laughed. "Endainme En'Dae's the only I've met who can do that. In this world anyway. There's something you get from training with ten women who could easily hang you by your belt with one hand and their eyes closed that will get you in fighting shape in no time. And besides that, you didn't train with Endainme En'Dae for several centuries. Twelve years has improved you a fair amount, but not enough to quite make up for the centuries of idleness."  
  
Ravyn's jaw dropped at Evelyn's casual dismissal of time. Michael, who was standing a little ways off, and still young himself, looked similarly shocked. Kestral, however, just shrugged, and asked, "Care to go again?"  
  
"You'll probably have better luck against one of the girls," Evelyn said, making eye contact with Adara and raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Sure," Adara said. She walked towards Kestral, her own sais appearing in her hands and her clothing transforming into loose brown pants and a white shirt.  
  
"Am I in for another miserable defeat?" Kestral joked.  
  
Adara grinned. "We'll see, won't we?" Without warning, she attacked, sais flashing in the darkness as the light from the streetlights caught the blades.  
  
Evelyn came and stood by Ravyn, her sais disappearing and her skirt becoming jeans. Ravyn gaped at her, astonished by such a visible display of magic.  
  
"Hey," Evelyn said, plopping down on the grass beside Ravyn, her long legs sprawling out on the ground. One leg of her jeans flopped up to reveal a small white line just above her ankle bone. Evelyn impatiently flicked the jeans down to hide it and patted the ground beside her. "Have a seat."  
  
Ravyn sat obediently, folding her legs Indian-style.  
  
"I've talked to your dad," Evelyn told her. "He's agreed to let you stay as long as needed."  
  
"How long is that?" Ravyn asked.  
  
"Depends," Evelyn said slowly. "It took me almost three years to learn enough, but I didn't have a teacher; I had to figure everything out for myself. My guess is that it will take you a year and a half, two years, tops."  
  
  
  
Over the next year and a half, Ravyn learned to build a wall around her mind to prevent the constant bombardment of other's thoughts. She learned to read minds, to subtly alter a person's memory, to control their thoughts, amplify their feelings, and to change her appearance by altering people's perception of her. Evelyn had also taught her how to fight.  
  
Ravyn had returned to Ordoghaz when she was almost fourteen. Three years later, she had begun having problems building her wall. It had gotten so bad that she had almost forgotten where she was. In a panic, she had fled to her godfather Lucian's manor, Farkas Kikötõ. Her Hungarian was very limited, but she knew enough to know that that meant Wolf Haven. Lucian had helped her get a plane ticket to Chicago and had called Evelyn to ask her to pick Ravyn up at the airport.  
  
The plane ride had been a mental agony. The thoughts of everyone around her pressed against her mind, making her feel as though she was no longer herself, no longer Ravyn. She was hundred other people, everyone bur Ravyn.  
  
As soon as she stepped off the plane, Evelyn had taken one look at her, and said something sharply to Amarice, which Ravyn couldn't understand because of the weight pressing against her mind.  
  
There was a flash of blue-green light and then everything went black.  
  
  
  
When she woke, she was lying on her back on Evelyn's sofa. There was a silence around her and she knew that no one was near her, because she still could not put up her wall, and yet she heard nothing.  
  
Evelyn walked in and Ravyn was amazed to find that the silence in her mind remained. Evelyn handed her a cup of tea and she sat up, taking it and sipping it gratefully.  
  
"Feeling better?"  
  
Ravyn nodded. "How did I get here?"  
  
"Amarice and I transported you. Your parents called, by the way. They aren't happy about you leaving like that, and I told them you'd call when you were better. I had Amarice put up a substitute wall until we can figure out what's wrong with yours. Can you tell me what happened?"  
  
Ravyn took another sip of the tea and sighed. "I can't build my wall. I've tried, and I just...can't."  
  
Evelyn frowned slightly. "When did this happen?"  
  
"It started about two weeks ago. It's happened before, for a few hours, but never this long. And it's never been this strong."  
  
"Strong?" Evelyn echoed, confused.  
  
"Usually, when it happens, I lock myself in my room, and I'm okay until it passes. This time, I'm hearing the thoughts of everyone in the same building as me. Nothing can stop it. It's horrible. And whenever I try to put up a wall, I get horrible headaches."  
  
Evelyn's frowned deepened. "Do you think you can stand to have Amarice take a peek inside your mind? She can't read thoughts, so it shouldn't be too bad. And she'll be able to tell what's the matter with you better than I can."  
  
Ravyn took another sip of her tea to hide her face while she thought.  
  
"All right."  
  
  
  
When Amarice came in, she gently prodded Ravyn's mind and instantly pulled away in horror.  
  
"What is it?" Evelyn asked anxiously.  
  
"Cold iron." Amarice shuddered.  
  
Evelyn's expression darkened and her hands clenched involuntarily.  
  
"How the hell did it get in her mind?"  
  
"Xareth," Amarice said with distaste.  
  
Ravyn, who had been looking from mother to daughter with an extremely confused look on her face, asked, "Who's Xareth? And what's cold iron?"  
  
Evelyn extended one arm towards Ravyn, showing her her wrists. Around the base of the palm, where hand and arm meet, there was a thin line of white scar tissue.  
  
"When I was twenty four," Evelyn said, her voice flat and emotionless. "Xareth bound me in cold iron for almost a full year. He put bands of it on my wrists and ankles. It was there for so long that it left me with scars. Cold iron is a foul sustenance. Magic abhors the touch of it, and it hates magic. If you touch cold iron and try to use your power, it will seize it and use it to drain your power and cause you intense pain. When it has taken all of your power, it will begin on your life. The pain is...intense. It's like being burned from the inside out." She shuddered in memory, then looked at Ravyn with purple eyes clouded by memory. "Somehow Xareth has reached across the border between worlds and planted the mental equivalent of it in your mind." She turned to Amarice. "Go get your sister and Aunt Lisa. We'll need their help."  
  
Amarice nodded and left.  
  
Evelyn took Ravyn's tea cup from her hand and gently pushed her back into the couch. She soothed Ravyn's dark hair back and said, "This will be painful. It's best if you're asleep."  
  
Almost instantly, Ravyn felt very drowsy. It took considerable effort just to keep her eyes open. She shut them, and slipped into unconsciousness.  
  
  
  
The four of them—Adara, Amarice, Evelyn, and Lisa, whoever she was—had extracted the cold iron from her mind. Ravyn woke with her wall already in place. She could have gone back to Budapest, but decided to stay in Chicago. She called her parents to tell them of her decision. They weren't happy about it, but short of flying to Chicago and physically dragging her home, there was nothing they could do to dissuade her. With Evelyn's help, she had moved downtown, bought an apartment, and taken her first job as an assassin. After three jobs, she had received an offer to join the Guild, an elite team of assassins. They were the highest paid assassins in the Chicago underworld.  
  
Because of her unique balance of vampire and lycan, Ravyn could take the form of human, vampire, lycan, or hybrid. She had worked alone until she was almost eighteen, luring her victims into dark alleys, where she transformed and killed. As she approached her eighteenth birthday, she had met Chris, a lead singer in a band, and a fellow Guild member. They had worked together for six months before parting as friends.  
  
  
  
Ravyn got out of the shower, wrapping herself in a towel. She finger-combed her hair, letting the droplets fall where they would. She remembered with an odd clarity those six months with Chris. She had become infatuated with him and he with her. That was part of the reason they had stopped working together. Though he didn't know why she kept refusing his offer of a date, she knew that because she was a hybrid and he was a human, they could never be together.  
  
She sighed, pulling on her pajamas and falling into bed. She pulled the heavy comforter over her. Maybe someday, she would tell him.  
  
Maybe.  
  
  
  
A/N: My goodness, that was long. While chapter three hasn't been written yet, it's all planned out in my head, so an update should be forthcoming. PLEASE REVIEW!! Reviews make me happy and happy writers write faster! 


	3. Not Just Another Job

A/N: Another long chapter. I can't believe I'm writing eight page chapters. I think my longest one on Far From Over was six pages. I wonder what's gotten in to me?  
  
Disclaimer: Guess what? I own everybody mentioned in this chapter except Michael, Selene, Kraven, and I think there's a brief mention of Viktor. But everything else is MINE!!!  
  
  
  
Chapter Three: Not Just Another Job  
  
When Ravyn woke the next morning, she pulled on a tank top and exercise pants, ate a quick breakfast, and walked to the gym.  
  
When she opened the door, most of the heads in the front turned, hands going to waists, or ankles, reaching for weapons, but went back to their workout when they saw who it was.  
  
Ravyn walked up to the desk to get her locker key. As the girl handed it to her, she said, "Haven't seen you in a while, Ravyn."  
  
"Been on the job," Ravyn explained.  
  
"Got it done, I take it?"  
  
"Yeah, check's due tomorrow."  
  
"Boss wants to see you after you're done."  
  
"Okay, thanks Joan."  
  
"No problem."  
  
Ravyn stowed her stuff in a locker, then went out into the main gym, first checking that all her throwing knives were in place. The gym belonged to the Assassin's Guild, and all the people there were assassins. It had happened, occasionally, that enemies of the Guild had wandered in, and a fight had ensued. The boss Joan had mentioned was the king of the assassins, and he was the one who gave out jobs. After each job, the assassin had to report to him.  
  
She started her workout with a run around the gym to warm up, and then moved into her normal workout, wondering why Jack would want to see her. She'd already filled her report on the previous nights work. What more did he want?  
  
  
  
"Couldn't this have waited until _after_ I'd showered?" Ravyn asked irritably. "I probably stink."  
  
"You look and smell as lovely as ever, my dear," Jack, the head of the Guild and Ravyn's boss, told her. "And no, it couldn't have waited. They need an answer in half an hour."  
  
Ravyn refrained from asking who "they" were, knowing it was an exercise in futility trying to get any information out of Jack, other than what he wanted you to know.  
  
"Have a seat," Jack said, gesturing to a chair in front of his desk. He went around and sat behind it, sitting back and folding his hands across his lap. Ravyn sat in a chair across from him, feeling rather uncomfortable. She had rarely been in Jack's office, preferring to write her reports and each time she was, it was for an unpleasant reason.  
  
"What would you think about going back into partnership with Chris?" Jack asked, surprising her.  
  
Whatever she had been expecting, it wasn't that. "Excuse me?" she said, unsure that she had heard right.  
  
"What would you think about going back into partnership with Chris?" Jack repeated.  
  
Ravyn stared blankly at him for a moment, then repeated stupidly, "Chris?"  
  
"Yes, Chris!" Jack was starting to get a little impatient with his usually quick-witted employee. "Did you forget to have a cup of coffee this morning?"  
  
"No! I mean yes. I mean...I don't know." Ravyn rubbed a hand across her face and stood, pacing the office. After a few minutes of silence, Ravyn stopped pacing and turned to Jack.  
  
"No. Chris and I can't go back into partnership."  
  
"Why not? You two are good friends. And you really did do very well together."  
  
"Personal problems," Ravyn said tersely. She liked Jack but he had an annoying tendency to pry.  
  
Jack sat up and looked her straight in the eye. "This is a really good job Ravyn. You don't want to pass it up."  
  
"How much?"  
  
"Ten grand each."  
  
Ravyn's eyes widened and she whistled. "Who do they want dead?"  
  
"He goes by the name of Viktor. We doubt that's his real name though."  
  
Ravyn's eyes narrowed and she sat down, opening the file Jack slid across the desk.  
  
"He's a very elusive criminal. He showed up in Chicago about twenty years ago, has changed his last name at least a dozen times, but he always keeps the first name Viktor."  
  
Ravyn flipped through the pages. It was a police file—_How did Jack get this?_—and very through, but there were no pictures, which struck Ravyn as odd. A cold feeling of dread settled in her stomach and she spoke to herself sternly to ward it off.  
  
_Stop it! Viktor was dead before you were even born! Mom cut off his head, for heaven's sake! Not even a vampire could survive that! It's not as though he can just grow another head._ She resisted the urge to giggle at the thought of Viktor with two heads. She knew what he looked like; there were drawings and paintings all over the manor, and her mother had told her about her grandsire often enough. Selene had wanted her daughter to understand the lingering unease in the Coven and where the natural prejudice the vampires harbored against the lycans had come from.  
  
"I already have an answer from Chris," Jack said, interrupting her thoughts. "I need yours."  
  
"Who contracted it?" she asked, more out of habit then anything else. She didn't really expect an answer, let alone the one he gave.  
  
"The Chicago Police, if you can believe that!"  
  
Ravyn gaped at him.  
  
"That's why I need you and Chris to do this. You both have clean records, besides the fact that you two are my best agents."  
  
Ravyn nodded, eyes traveling back down to the file. A murder charge stared back at her. The Guild tended more towards criminals in their victims, but there were some who would kill anyone, if the price was right. Ravyn and Chris, however, had kept their records clear of innocents. The Chicago police had an unofficial awareness of the Guild and tended to leave its members alone, when the victim was a criminal. But they always investigated—and sometimes solved—innocent murder cases. Since both Ravyn and Chris had no innocent blood on their hands—or teeth, in Ravyn's case—they could work with the Police without fear of arrest.  
  
"I'll do it."  
  
  
  
"So you said yes?" Chris asked.  
  
"What else could I say?" Ravyn retorted. "The Chicago Police contracted it! If I refuse, they'll probably come and arrest me, and I'll end up doing it anyway, only I won't get paid. And ten thousand dollars is a lot of money."  
  
They were sitting in a small local café, eating lunch.  
  
"You're telling me!" Chris said, and then he looked closely at her. "You're curious!" Ravyn said nothing, only sipped her tea. "Come on, admit it!"  
  
Ravyn took another sip of her tea, frowning. "I am, a bit. But it's more than that."  
  
Chris bit into his sandwich, raising an eyebrow. Ravyn took a long drink of the tea, hiding her thoughts.  
  
_Now what do I say? It's not as though I can say, "Hey Chris, guess what? I'm part vampire and the guy we're supposed to kill has the same name as my grandsire."  
_  
"There was a man," she said, choosing her words carefully, "who tried to kill my father, before I was born. He killed my mother's family and lied to her for years about it. He turned my mother into a va—killer." She caught herself quickly. "His name was Viktor. He spelled it the same way as this guy." She tapped the police file lying on the table between them. "Mom killed him, but I'm afraid that maybe, somehow, he survived, or maybe one of his, um, relatives or something is after my family again."  
  
Not too far from the truth, she congratulated herself. _If you take out the whole part about the war.  
_  
"I see," Chris said, though clearly, he didn't. "That's why you signed on? To find out if it had something to do with this guy your mom killed?"  
  
Ravyn nodded.  
  
"And here I thought it had something to do with my irresistible charm." Chris laughed and Ravyn had to admit, he was irresistible. With his thick brown hair, dancing green eyes, and muscled frame, he was very handsome. And he was funny, and sweet, and charming, and...  
  
Ravyn pulled herself away from her mental list of Chris's charms, and forced herself to focus on the business at hand.  
  
"How are we going to catch this guy?"  
  
"I was thinking the usual?"  
  
"But we don't know where he is, we don't know what he looks like, we don't even know his real name!"  
  
"Good point." Chris chewed thoughtfully on his sandwich, and then said, "Tell you what. You get me a visual, and I'll get the rest of the stuff we need."  
  
"Sounds like you get most of the work."  
  
"Oh, there's a price."  
  
"And what would that be?"  
  
"One kiss." Chris held up a finger. "When we get the bugger, you have to kiss me."  
  
Ravyn eyed him speculatively, trying desperately to fight the blush attempting to color her pale cheeks.  
  
"Deal. But just one," she said, when Chris grinned widely.  
  
"Works for me."  
  
  
  
"Come on, you little bastard, where are you?" Ravyn asked her computer, but the question was really addressed to 'Viktor'. She wondered who he really was. Jack had said he had come to the city twenty years ago.  
  
_That would be right around the time when Viktor was killed. Note to self: ask Mom if any vampires went missing during that time._  
  
Would she recognize him if she saw him? She had seen pictures of many of the Death Dealers that had died in the Great Battle against the lycans. The battle for her father's life. She thought of a particular vampire that her mother often brought up when she spoke of that battle.  
  
_Kraven. I wonder if this 'Viktor' has anything to do with him?  
_  
She did another search on her laptop, and this time came up with a site that looked promising. She clicked on it and pulled up a series of pictures. Most were fuzzy and hard to distinguish the pink blobs as human beings, and all had been taken at night. She scrolled down idly, wondering if this site had anything remotely resembling quality. And then she saw it.  
  
It was a frontal view of a man's face. He had thick dark hair that fell to his shoulders, and his eyes were an electric blue. His teeth were bared in a snarl, and the canines were abnormally long and sharp.  
  
_I knew it! Kraven, you bloody bastard, is this where you've been hiding all this time? Wait till Mom hears; she's been dying to get her hands on you!  
_  
She quickly hit the print button and waited impatiently while her prehistoric printer slowly inked out the lines that would form Kraven's face. When it was done, she snatched it off the floor where it had fallen when the printer released it, grabbed her keys and her phone, and hurried out the door, almost forgetting to lock it in her rush to get to Chris's apartment.  
  
It was late, almost midnight, and Ravyn decided to drive. Traffic would be almost non-existent, and it would get her the ten blocks to Chris's apartment much faster. She could have just called him, but she wanted to see him. Calling herself all sorts of names ranging from love-struck idiot to a bloody irrational moron, she climbed into her car and started the ignition. She rolled down the convertible top, hoping the air would clear her head, and drove quickly to Chris's apartment building.  
  
She ran up the stairs and knocked on Chris's door. There was no response, so she knocked again. After a few seconds had gone by, she impatiently raised her hand to knock again, but Chris opened the door before she could.  
  
Chris's brown hair was tousled from sleep, he was wearing shorts, and his chest was bare. Ravyn forced herself not to stare at his tanned and muscled body, instead looking into his sleepy green eyes.  
  
_Even half asleep, he's gorgeous!  
_  
"Ravyn?" he asked sleepily. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I found him!" she exclaimed, brandishing the paper.  
  
"Couldn't this have waited until morning?"  
  
"No. I know who he is, and more important I know his weaknesses."  
  
"Alright, come in." Chris yawned, opening the door for her. She stepped inside, feeling suddenly shy. She had never been inside his apartment before, and she found it oddly...romantic.  
  
Chris turned the lights on, and she followed him into the kitchen. Still yawning, he turned on the coffee pot, and sat down at the table with her.  
  
"Alright, so who is this guy?"  
  
"His name is Kraven," she told him, handing him the picture. "He's an old enemy of Mom's. He betrayed the Cov...her family."  
  
_Better keep a closer watch on that tongue of yours!_ she told herself. _That's the second time you've nearly let it slip today!  
_  
Luckily, Chris didn't seem to notice, too absorbed in studying the picture.  
  
"You mentioned weaknesses?" he asked, looking up briefly.  
  
"He's sun-phobic, and he's infatuated with Mom."  
  
"That's gross, Ravyn," Chris told her. "He can't be that much older than us!"  
  
"You'd be surprised," Ravyn muttered under her breath.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Nothing. The point is he only comes out a night. He never lets the sunlight touch him."  
  
"Sounds like he has serious mental issues."  
  
"You have no idea."  
  
"You know him?"  
  
"Not personally. But Mom's known him for a long time, and he tried to kill my dad once. Came pretty damn close too."  
  
"I see." He studied the picture for a few more minutes as Ravyn gazed around his kitchen. It was clean, but not decorated in any way, not even a picture hanging on the wall. It seemed so impersonal for someone like Chris.  
  
He looked up from the computer printout, meeting Ravyn's gaze squarely.  
  
"I ran into Cody today," he told her quietly, knowing the young assassin was a bit of a sore spot with her.  
  
"What did he have to say?"  
  
"He's on the job tonight."  
  
"Someday that boy is going to get himself killed," she muttered. "He depends too much on those damned powers."  
  
Cody was sixteen, and very new to the Guild. He was one of the few in the Guild that had powers. His were transportation powers that he depended entirely on to get his jobs done, something Ravyn disapproved heartily of. She knew the dangers of her magic, and could get a job done without it, though she generally preferred it. Cody, however, had no idea of the dangers that could result of using his magic, and Ravyn suspected that one day the boy would run up against someone wearing cold iron and would not know what to do. She had often offered to instruct him in the dangers, but each time she did, he refused. He was a stubborn boy, that was for sure.  
  
"I don't know why it upsets you so much," Chris said conversationally.  
  
"Simple. There are substances out there that repel magic. They're more common than I'd like them to be, but at least I can tell when someone has one. Cody wouldn't know cold iron if it bit him on the nose."  
  
"I see," Chris said, though clearly he didn't. He looked at her speculatively. "You know, you're pretty cute when you're mad."  
  
She blushed hotly. "Chris, we've been through this." She stood up to go.  
  
"You're even cuter when you blush." He stood too, and came around the table to her.  
  
"Chris...We can't do this." He looked into her pale gray eyes, leaning forward slightly.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because....because..." With his lips so close to hers, she couldn't seem to focus and think of reason why they couldn't.  
  
Her cell phone rang, letting out a jazzy Chicago tune from her back pocket, startling her. She jumped, and Chris reluctantly straightened, pulling away from her.  
  
"Hello?" she said, not sure whether she should be grateful or irritated by the interruption.  
  
"Ravyn?" Jack's voice said. "We've got a problem."  
  
  
  
"I knew it!" Ravyn exclaimed, snapping the phone shut.  
  
"What?"  
  
"That was Jack. Apparently, Cody's gotten caught. The police are on their way right now. I knew I was going to have to clean up one of his damn messes one day." She started out the door and Chris followed, not bothering to put on a shirt.  
  
"What aren't you telling me, Ravyn?" he asked as she ran down the stairs towards her car and he hurried to keep up.  
  
Ravyn didn't respond. She ignored him completely until they got outside. She climbed in quickly, not bothering with the door and started the engine. Chris could only stare at the car.  
  
"Are you coming or not?"  
  
Chris nodded dumbly and got in.  
  
"Where did you get this car Ravyn?" he asked as the sped down the street.  
  
"Mom gave it to me for my sixteenth birthday. I wanted a red one, but she said that was too flashy for...people like us. I brought it with me when I moved here."  
  
They drove in silence for a few minutes, then Chris remembered his earlier question.  
  
"Ravyn, what aren't you telling me about this?"  
  
She sighed and glanced over at him. "If I can't get him off, or destroy the evidence connecting him to the Guild, I have to kill him."  
  
"Kill him! He's only sixteen!"  
  
"It doesn't matter! He can still force the police to recognize the Guild officially. If they do, we're toast. All of us." She looked at him steadily. "You've got to help me with this Chris."  
  
They were approaching the night club where Cody was supposed to be. Chris nodded reluctantly.  
  
"Just promise me you won't do anything you don't have to."  
  
"Trust me, I won't."  
  
  
  
When they reached the club, they found that the police had already found Cody and were questioning him. As Ravyn and Chris got out of the car, she whispered to him, "My name is Evie, and you're my boyfriend Josh."  
  
She walked up to the nearest officer and said, "Thank God, you found him!" She went and embraced Cody and whispered in his ear, "Sister, Evie," hoping he would understand what she meant. She didn't have time for a longer sentence. She drew back as one of the officers asked, "Who are you, miss?"  
  
"I'm Cody's sister, Evelyn," she told them. "Evie for short." She shook the officer's hand and said, "My brother's a bit of a trouble maker, I hope he hasn't done anything serious?"  
  
"That's what we're trying to ascertain, Ms. Evelyn."  
  
"What has he told you already?"  
  
"Nothing. He won't tell us anything. Perhaps as his sister...?" the officer trailed off, looking expectantly at Ravyn.  
  
"Of course. He's a bit shy, but I think I can get something out of him." She smiled brightly at him, cursing her lack of forethought in not making herself blonde. She walked over to Cody, leaving Chris to talk to the police officers.  
  
_See if you can get him to let us get Cody out of here!_ she whispered into his mind.  
  
_I'll see what I can do,_ he thought back.  
  
She took Cody's arm and led him a little ways off from where the police stood. She could feel several of them watching her, but ignored them, leading Cody away.  
  
When they were a few yards away, she turned and looked him in the eye. He had met her before, and was not daunted by her, but now he was very scared and almost cowered in front of her.  
  
"Tell me what happened," she commanded.  
  
"I...uh...well..."  
  
"Tell me," she repeated. "Now." She fixed him with a pale gray glare. "You know what I can do. If I have to into your mind to find out what happened, it will not be pleasant. Particularly for you."  
  
Cody stared at her with wide frightened eyes, and Ravyn felt bad, but she did not relent. Quickly, he told her what had happened.  
  
Apparently, he had been on the job with an innocent girl as the victim. Ravyn frowned at this, but didn't say anything, letting him continue. They were dancing in a remote corner of the club and he had reached for his power to take them out of the club, but something had stopped him. He had panicked, and pulled out the knife that was his weapon of choice. She had screamed and a brawl had ensued, in which he lost his knife and someone called the police.  
  
She frowned as if in thought to disguise the faraway look in her eyes as she contacted Chris.  
  
_It's worse than I thought. He pulled a knife on her in the middle of the club. How's it coming with the cops?  
_  
_I think I can get them to let us go for the night,_ he told her. _But I need you to push them a bit.  
_  
_Sure thing. Keep talking for a few more seconds, then ask again. He'll say yes._  
  
Quickly, while the police officer was distracted by Chris, she slipped into his mind and waited for Chris's question. When it came, she manipulated his mind so that he agreed, and then she slipped out.  
  
"You know why I'm here don't you?" she asked Cody.  
  
"Jack sent you," he said sullenly.  
  
Chris walked up to them and said to Ravyn, "We can go."  
  
"Get in the car," she commanded Cody. He went obediently, sitting in the back seat. Once they were all inside, she smiled brightly at the cops and said, "I'll bring him back in the morning. Mom will just want to say goodbye to him." The officer nodded dazedly and she rolled up the convertible top and drove off before any of them came to their senses and prevented it.  
  
As soon as they were safely away, Ravyn sighed heavily and glanced at Chris. "I haven't controlled so many minds in a long time. That's hard work."  
  
She smiled at him, and he noticed for the first time that she was sweating slightly. "Are you okay?"  
  
"I'll be fine. I can make it back to the house. I don't think I can do anymore mind control though."  
  
  
  
They didn't speak the rest of the way to Ravyn's apartment. When they got there, Cody trailed behind them up to Ravyn's apartment. Once inside, Ravyn turned her anger loose on the boy.  
  
"What in the hell do you think you were doing? Pulling a knife in public?"  
  
"I panicked!" he defended himself.  
  
"Do you know what it was that stopped your power?" Ravyn asked, more to distract herself from the urge to rip the foolish boy's throat out for nearly exposing them.  
  
Cody dug a ring out of his pocket and handed it to her. "She was wearing that, and I think that might have been it."  
  
As soon as the ring touched her hand, Ravyn knew what it was. With a gasp of fear and remembrance, she dropped it to the floor as if it had burned her.  
  
"Ravyn, what is it?" Chris asked concerned.  
  
"Cold iron," she said shakily. "That ring is cold iron. No wonder you panicked. I did too." All her anger melted away as she realized why he had done what he did.  
  
"What?" Cody and Chris said, almost simultaneously.  
  
"Cold iron. It repels magic," she explained. "I had a bad run-in with some a few years back." She looked at Cody. "You know what has to be done." It was not a question.  
  
He nodded. Without taking her eyes of the boy, Ravyn said to Chris, "Would you please go make sure I locked the car? I don't think I did."  
  
Looking more than slightly confused, Chris left, taking her keys with him.  
  
"I'm sorry Cody," Ravyn said sincerely. "I wish it didn't have to be this way. But you had your Guild papers on you, which the police now have, and you pulled a knife in public. At least I can give you an easy death."  
  
"How?" he asked. He was no longer pretending to be macho. He was just a scared boy who knew he was about to die.  
  
Ravyn held up one finger, and the nail extended into a hybrid's claw. "One stab to the heart will do it. And I can ease your mind asleep so you don't even feel it."  
  
Cody nodded. "I'd...appreciate it."  
  
"Do you want me to send any messages for you?"  
  
Cody shook his head and she crossed the room to him. She helped him lie down on the floor and gently eased into his mind. She relaxed it slowly, as it would when naturally going to sleep, and in only minutes, he was asleep in her lap. Biting her lip, she positioned her finger over his heart, tightened her grip on his mind so he wouldn't wake when her claw punctured his skin, and plunged her claw into his chest.  
  
His body shook in her arms and blood welled up in his mouth, but he was dead in seconds. Tears poured down her cheeks and she leaned over the body of Cody and sobbed.  
  
  
  
A/N: I know, it's sad, but it was necessary to the next chapter. There was a little hint of Ravyn/Chris in this one (sorry if I've just spoiled something for you, but if you haven't figured it out by now, that's really sad) but we'll see just how much he cares in the next chapter. Also in the next chapter: we have a little S/M, and we'll see what our naughty boy Kraven has been up to. I won't be updating at all next week, because I'll be at camp, but during that time I will probably get something written. Be patient and review, if you haven't already, so I know that someone is waiting for it, and I will hurry up with the posting. I'm back on Saturday, so I'm guessing I'll have something up on Monday or Tuesday. Please review!!  
  
**Akemi Akibi:** I hear your request. I'll try and grant it, but I'm not making any promises. Her relationship with her parents is a fairly normal one for a teenager, I think. In chapter seven or eight, I think a deeper look into the relationship will work into the story perfectly. Thanks for the idea, and the review!  
  
**AquariousF5:** I'm glad you like Ravyn. There is going to be a bit of romance for her in this story, and I hope, from this chapter, and chapter two, you figured it out. If you didn't, I'm not going to tell! Hehe  
  
**Kesaria:** I'm glad you enjoyed it. I really look forward to your reviews; they're always so helpful! I hope I can mix the genres fairly well. Let me know how I do!  
  
**Lady K:** Chapter 1: Moose doesn't like the mind-reading thing, but I'm glad you do. I don't know what I'd do if one of my most faithful reviewers didn't like it! When are we going to see more on My Immortal? I really really really want to know what happens!!! Chapter 2: You're partially right about Adara. I first read the name in a book of dragon-related short stories and fell in love with that character, and then I found it in an Eddings book and the rest, as they say, was history. Moose was not fond of the Other Worlds thing, but I had to put it in there if I was going to have Evelyn and her kids in there, and trust me, there was no way in hell Adalon was going to let me leave her out. (She's very stubborn sometimes. It gets annoying. But arguing with her is like arguing with a rock.) But the Other Worlds thing is part of Evelyn's character, and you can't leave out crucial bits of someone, just because the editor doesn't like it. And besides, it's important in later chappies. But I'm glad you liked it.  
  
**007:** She would be omnipotent if she was constantly reading minds. But as a courtesy, she generally stays out of people's minds unless invited. Unless they are her intended victim, of course. But it's sort of like you don't walk in on someone when they're in the shower, and you don't read their mind unless they say you can.  
  
**Moose:** You've said you're warming up to the story, which is good. It's very difficult to write something when the muse doesn't like it.  
  
**Brainfear:** Glad you liked it! It's always nice to hear from you, so keep reviewing!!  
  
**Samara Morgan-Ring:** I'm not entirely sure if your review was directed at me, since you included the name Todoshi (at least I think it's a name), but for now, I'm going to assume it is. I promise I will continue with this. Maybe a bit slower than you'd like, but please don't sic your pink bunnies of nauseating cuteness on me!  
  
**Khayla:** I was wondering what happened to you. I though maybe the Canadians had done something to you. dodges flying fruit kidding! Glad you liked it.  
  
**Xenocharm: **No, Chris is not based on anyone; I came up with him before I even went to summer school. It's just a coincidence. And I had to kill Seth. It was the perfect opportunity to wreck some revenge on that...I'm not even going to say what he is, because I can't think of a word nasty enough. And since I can't kill him in real life, I can kill him in my stories. And I will. The cold iron thing isn't random, I promise. It comes in during this chapter (obviously) and in chapter...I think it's chapter six. Maybe five, maybe seven, I don't know yet. But somewhere around in there. And as for Chris's biceps, you can't have the hot male lead have wimpy biceps. 


	4. An Old Game

Disclaimer: I don't own Selene, Michael, or Kraven. Everyone else is mine!

Chapter Four: An Old Game  
  
Her lips tasted of blood. They always did, but this time it tasted better than any wine he had ever sampled.  
  
Selene moaned against Michael's mouth as his hands slid up her back under her shirt. Her own hands returned the favor, running over the muscles in his back.  
  
A loud knock sounded, making them jump apart by reflex. For the past several months, they had avoided showing any affection in front of Selene's vampire relatives. But now that they were married, Michael felt a surge or irritation at the interruption on their wedding night.  
  
Selene went to answer it, her Death Dealer mask fully in place. She opened the door and Michael saw that René stood on the other side.  
  
"Hello Selene," she said, raising a gun. A loud shot ran out through Selene's rooms. Selene fell silently, knees giving out as she collapsed to the ground. Blood formed a pool around her, staining her clothes and the floor.  
  
"Selene!" Michael shouted. He ran to her and—  
  
—he sat bolt upright in bed, breathing heavily. He looked over at Selene, lying peacefully beside him. she was smiling slightly in her sleep and had somehow managed to arrange the covers so that one long, white leg stuck out and her bare shoulders were visible. He gazed at her, taking in her beauty. He debated whether he should kiss her awake for another round of love- making, or watch her sleep. He had almost decided to let her sleep when her smile suddenly became a frown and tears began rolling down her cheeks.  
  
"Selene, wake up," he said urgently, wanting to wake her from her nightmare. He reached out and touched her shoulder and she woke with a gasp.  
  
"Michael," she whispered. She sat up and leaned against him, sobbing. He stroked her back, murmuring reassurances against her hair.  
  
When she stopped crying, they lay back down, still in each other's embrace.  
  
"What happened?" Michael asked gently.  
  
"I was dreaming," she whispered. "It was our wedding night and we were kissing. And then I...I bit you." She stopped and Michael wondered what it was that she wasn't saying.  
  
"What's so bad about that?" he asked. "You've bitten me before."  
  
"Not like this. This time...I...killed you."  
  
  
  
Chris walked up the stairs back to Ravyn's apartment. He wondered what she was going to do while he was gone, thought he had a sinking feeling that he already knew. He hoped she wouldn't have to do what he already knew she did.  
  
When he opened the door to her apartment, he saw Ravyn sitting on the floor with Cody's head in her lap. He was dead.  
  
Ravyn looked up as the door opened and Chris saw the tear streaks on her cheeks.  
  
He crossed the room to her in three easy strides and knelt down beside her. Without a word, he put his arms around her and she sobbed into his chest. Carefully, he maneuvered her so that she was no longer stuck beneath Cody's body. With her held so close against him, he could feel each shuddering breath she drew and wished desperately that there was something he could do, something he could say, that would make her feel better.  
  
But he knew that there was nothing he could do. She had to get through this on her own. It pained him that he couldn't help her. He wished he could protect her from the pain and the hurt he knew she must be feeling.  
  
But all he could do was hold her as she cried, hoping that know he was there would comfort her.  
  
  
  
Kraven sat at a bar, drinking beer. He disliked beer intensely, but he had yet to find a bar that served blood. And it was easier to discover secrets when the bloke was rip-roaring drunk.  
  
He had escaped to the Windy City twenty years ago to get away from the vampires he knew to be chasing him. He had resorted to crime to stay alive, posing under the name of Viktor. Two years ago, he had seen a girl whose name he later learned was Ravyn. He was convinced that she was Selene's daughter and that he could use her against Selene. The trouble was that she had some sort of mind control powers and he would have to find some way to prevent her from controlling his mind. And so he had taken to using beer to get information out of magic specialists. So far though, he hadn't heard anything that might prove useful, and tonight's old man seemed to be particularly stupid.  
  
"So you don't know anything?"  
  
"Nothing that _you_ can use," the old man said. He spoke surprisingly clearly for someone so drunk. He had had at least eight beers and Kraven would be willing to bet that if he got off his bar stool he would collapse into a heap.  
  
"What do you mean by that?" Kraven demanded, insulted.  
  
"People with magic learn to control it on their own. They don't need your help."  
  
"I don't think you understand me very well, old man," Kraven said threateningly. He opened his mouth to say more when a voice on the other side of him spoke.  
  
"If you're looking for a way to prevent people working magic on you, I may have a proposition for you."  
  
"I'm listening," Kraven said, the old man forgotten.  
  
"Let me tell you about cold iron..."  
  
  
  
"It's happened before too. I used to have dreams like this when I was pregnant with Ravyn. I thought they had gone but I guess not."  
  
Michael sat up and looked steadily at her.  
  
"You're angry aren't you?" Selene asked, sitting up as well.  
  
"I'm surprised, not angry," he told her. "It was only a dream."  
  
"But I—"  
  
"Selene," Michael said firmly, placing his fingers on her lips. "I'm not mad at all." He took his fingers away and replaced them with his lips. He could feel her trembling against him and he caressed her back lovingly, trying to reassure her. She relaxed against him and opened her mouth under his. He obeyed her silent command, sliding his tongue into her mouth, brushing it against hers.  
  
The kiss quickly erupted from a comforting one after a nightmare into a passionate prelude to love-making.  
  
  
  
A/N: well well well. That was shorter than all my other chapters on this story, except for the first one I think. I hope it wasn't too disappointing. I've been at camp, as I said in my last chapter, and I met a boy there, and we're sort of in a long distance relationship now. We haven't made anything official, but still. So, as you can imagine, I've been a tad bit distracted.  
  
**Moose:** 1. I do not like Seth. We've been through this many, many times. I killed him off, didn't I? 2. You told me when you edited that you didn't like the Other Worlds thing. You are allowed to change your mind, but if you want me to know that you have to TELL ME!!  
  
**Khayla:** If Chris reminds you of another Chris, that's not my fault. Rachel said the same thing though. But still, I came up with the idea of Chris long before I met the other Chris. So he isn't based on anyone. Are you sure the Canadians haven't done anything to you?  
  
**Alexa.G:** I'm glad you enjoyed it. It was sad, wasn't it? That was the intention, but I think you're the first to comment on it.  
  
**Lady K:** As always, thanks for your review. I always look forward to them. I'm glad Ravyn's personality is coming out okay. I always worry about that. Let me know of your decision on Chris. Always nice to know what you (and other reviewers, hint hint) think about the intercharacteral (is that a word?) relationships. A lot of people (actually, just Moose and Rachel) have asked me if Chris has any powers. The answer is no. He is just a normal human being. As far as the Guild goes, they found her and offered her a job and she took it. Just out of an extreme burning curiosity, when do we get more on My Immortal?  
  
**Bladea:** Not everyone knows about it. In fact, the majority of people don't. However, most of the characters in the story do know, because of Ravyn. Chris knows because they were partners. Jack knows about it, sorta, because its necessary to her work. Obviously, her parents know. Endainme En'Dae and Kestral know because of their friendship with Evelyn. Kraven knows because he's a sneaky little lying bad word.  
  
**Samara Morgan-Ring:** kicks babbon face? That's an interesting expression. Here's an update, so don't sic Bob on me. (thanks for clearing up the bit about todoshi, I was really confused.)


	5. A Deal

A/N: Sorry this chapter took such a long time to get posted. I came down with a severe case of writer's block that refused to respond to treatment. And then I got grounded from the computer because I wouldn't go to a baseball game with my dad (because he always ignores me when we go) and then refused to go to Six Flags with him (because last year I came and promptly threw up everything I'd eaten that day.). My mom won't go to Six Flags with him because she hates the rides, and I'm not too fond of them either. So why did I get grounded? Good question. Probably for the same reason he took my door last year. Which is something I still haven't figured out. I think it had something to do with canned vegetables...  
  
Disclaimer: OCs are mine and the plot is mine, but that's it. Not a penny to my name for this fic, so don't sue. I can't afford it.  
  
  
  
Chapter Five: A Deal  
  
Ravyn's sobs slowly subsided, fading to fait hiccupping gasps. Chris still held her, however, and she made no move to disentangle his arms around her. The truth was that it felt so right for him to hold her, and she didn't want to leave his embrace. One of his ands was stroking her hair and the other held her to him. She drew back a little, reluctantly.  
  
"What are we going to do?" Her voice was thick and hoarse with crying.  
  
"I don't know," Chris admitted. "But you are going to get some rest before we do anything." He helped her to her feet and began to lead her towards her bedroom.  
  
"But Cody—" she said, looking back at the boy's lifeless body lying on the floor of her hallway.  
  
"I'll handle it," Chris said firmly, pushing her gently onto her bed. He knelt to take off her shoes, then tucked her under the covers, much like he would a young child.  
  
"Sleep," he said, kissing her gently on the forehead. He stood and turned to go.  
  
"Chris," Ravyn said as he reached the door. He turned back to her inquiringly.  
  
"Don't leave me tonight." There was a slight tremor in her voice. "I...I don't want to be alone."  
  
He smiled reassuringly at her. "I'll be right back. I'm just going to call Jack real quick and have him deal with this."  
  
Ravyn nodded and he left, shutting the door softly behind him. It pained him to see her like this. The fire, the passion, the kick-ass attitude that was the Ravyn he loved was gone. In her place was a vulnerable little girl that Chris couldn't help but feel sorry for. He secretly hoped she would let him help her through this, because he didn't want her to lose the fiery spirit that had made him fall in love with her to begin with.  
  
Quickly, not wanting to leave her alone with her thoughts for too long, he dialed Jack's number.  
  
"Hello?" came a voice on the other end of the line. A female voice.  
  
"Is Jack there?" Chris asked.  
  
"Hello?" said Jack's voice a few seconds later.  
  
"What the hell were you thinking!" Chris exploded, wanting to yell, and knowing he had to keep his voice down so as not to disturb Ravyn.  
  
"Is this Chris?"  
  
"You have better thank God I'm not there right now, Jack, because I'd love to kick your fucking ass right now!"  
  
"Chris, calm down, and tell me what's bothering you," Jack commanded, his voice steady and level.  
  
"What are you, my shrink? Listen to me, Jack, if you think you can toy with people's lives like you did with Cody and Ravyn, you have another fucking thought coming. And if you've done any permanent damage, you asshole, I swear I _will _kill you." The tone of his voice told Jack that he was being completely serious, and he wondered, not for the first time, if putting those two together as partners was a good idea. "Now send someone over here right now to pick up the body."  
  
Chris hung up without waiting to hear Jack's reply. He forced himself to take a deep breath and calm down. He couldn't go back to Ravyn angry.  
  
  
  
Xareth couldn't believe his luck. The vampiric fool back at the bar had been incredibly cooperative. Or incredibly stupid, depending on how you looked at it. He was after someone, a girl, apparently, who had magic. And who knew Evelyn Chicaya. It had taken Xareth quite awhile to discover Adalon's otherworld name. Or was Evelyn her real name, and Adalon her otherworld name? She was from here, after all.  
  
Never mind, Xareth dismissed the train of thought, going back to his conversation with the vampire.  
  
_"So this cold iron stuff will prevent her from casting a spell on me?" Kraven had asked. "Are you sure?"  
  
"Quite," Xareth responded icily. He was practically a king, where he came from, and wasn't used to people doubting his word. "If it can control one of the more powerful enchantresses, why not a simple girl off the streets? Trust me, cold iron is the ticket."  
  
"But how do I get it?" Kraven persisted. "You said it's very difficult to make, and hard to get, especially here."  
  
"Well there, my good fellow, you are in luck. I happen to have some I don't need, which I will give to you—for a price of course."  
  
"What kind of price?" Kraven asked suspiciously.  
  
"I'm searching for an—an old acquaintance. I need to know where she lives."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Her name is Evelyn Chicaya. She lives somewhere in this city, I know, but I need to know where exactly."  
  
"What does she look like?"  
  
"Unnaturally tall, blonde hair, and purple eyes."  
  
"Purple eyes?" Kraven was astounded.  
  
"It's a mark of power," Xareth informed him.  
  
Kraven remembered hearing about someone with purple eyes...but where? It was somewhere in Ravyn's past...  
  
"I think I know who you're talking about."  
  
"Excellent. Now, don't try to cheat me," Xareth commanded, holding out the chain of cold iron, but not allowing Kraven to take it.. "I have ways of knowing things you would rather not have me know. And I can use those things to my advantage should you attempt to cheat me."  
  
"I have no secrets," Kraven scoffed.  
  
"Do you not? What of your...midnight feeding habits?"  
  
The vampire had gone paler than he already was, if that were possible. Xareth gave him a sinister smile and said, "Pleasure doing business with you," something Adalon had said once after leaving him bound and gagged in the forest after a fight. Then he left.  
  
_Xareth laughed to himself, thinking how easy it had been. Now he would just have to wait and Evelyn would come to him.  
  
  
  
Chris opened the door and saw that Ravyn had fallen asleep—and was having a nightmare. She tossed and turned uncomfortably and there was an expression of pain on her face.  
  
He hurried over to her and touched her shoulder gently. "Ravyn. Ravyn, wake up."  
  
She sat up with a gasp and with her mouth open, Chris thought he saw fangs. But she quickly shut her mouth and he decided it must have been a trick of the light, because when she opened her mouth again, they were gone.  
  
"Chris," she whispered, and promptly burst into tears,  
  
"It's alright," he said, holding her against him. "It's alright. We're going to get through this. I promise."  
  
She took his hand and held it tightly to her and lay down, pulling his with her. They lay together on her bed, with her back pressed against his chest, his arm around her waist, and his hand clutched against her chest like a lifesaver.  
  
Ravyn's tears quickly dried on her cheeks and she fell into a deep—and this time, dreamless—sleep.  
  
  
  
A/N: Rather short, I know. But now we know who the guy in the bar is. Just a short explanation on him: he's Adalon's arch-enemy. He is very powerful and has all sorts of different abilities, as far as magic goes. But the only power that's really truly his is the ability to steal other people's power. And he wants Adalon's very very badly. In my actual original fic, he never actually crosses over to Chicago, but I tweaked it a little to fit. He's based on the same guy that was killed in the first chapter. Adalon kicks his ass a lot. She has fun doing it, too.  
  
So anyway, I hope you liked it. Please review, because reviews make me very happy and go a long way towards curing writer's block. I'm going to tell you that I already have chapter 6 written. The speed at which I post depends entirely on you, my readers. The more of you that review, the faster the chapter goes up. So, I'll leave you with that incentive and hope to hear from as many of you as possible.  
  
**Alexa.G.:** I can't tell you what's up with the dreams Michael and Selene are having, because then I'd have to kill you. And I would hate to do that. Killing off a loyal reviewer would be a sad sad thing, don't you think? Actually, it's a bit of foreshadowing. Oops! Shouldn't of told you that! Oh well, we'll just pretend I didn't say that, right? winks conspiratorially  
  
**Xenocharm:** 1. I do not like Seth. We've been over this. Many times. 2. Yes you did. 3. Because Kraven is important to the storyline and while he may be mean and stupid, he is most definitely NOT ugly. I love Shane Brolly.  
  
**Samara Morgan-Ring:** At least I'm safe from Bob. Though I'm tempted to not post this chapter just to see a donkey/bunny hybrid. And you're right. You do eat to much sugar. But we love you anyway!  
  
**Reven1539:** I'm glad you like it!  
  
**Klaudestar:** We're getting there, we're getting there! If all goes according to Chris's plan, they will hook up. unfortunately, we don't know if Chris's plan is my plan, now do we?  
  
**AngryTolkeinPurist:** Thank you for the complement. I try. it's nice to know someone notices.  
  
**Khayla:** That sentence was confusing. And you're right of course. My faithful readers were here before Randy. And so, here's another chapter for you!  
  
**Lady K2:** As always, thanks for the review. Yours are much-looked-forward to. The dreams are a foreshadowing of sorts. If you recall, Selene had them while she was carrying Ravyn and her child's powers may have been affecting her at the time...and I've said too much. I hope this chapter helped you warm up to Chris a little. What exactly are your reservations about him? Maybe I can put them at ease? And when will we see more of My Immortal and the gorgeous Geren? Can't wait!  
  
**Moose:** I'm sorry you're feeling a bit left out on review response. Being my beta reader does take some of the thrill out of reading because by the time I get it posted, you've read it three times. That's why I don't give you long responses. Because you've already heard my response to everything you said. But you know I love you.


	6. You're Not Alone Tonight

A/N: Would you believe me if I told you that I wrote this on the same night I wrote chapter five? No? Damn. It's true. Honest it is! Enjoy! :) btw, i would like to shoot because it will not let me have my little arrow thingys. URGH!!!

Disclaimer: that which I do not own, thee cannot sue for. (Sorry, been reading…I'm not sure what. It may be the leftover effects from Romeo and Juliet almost six months ago) Also, the song here is by Keith Urban (who, unfortunately doesn't belong to me, either, but, hey, a girl can dream can't she?) and I don't own it, even though I changed one word so it would make sense.

* * *

Chapter Six: You're Not Alone Tonight

"Come on, Ravyn," Chris implored. "You've been moping around your apartment for two weeks now. It's time to start living again. Come with me tonight."

"Where?" Ravyn said. Her voice was flat, emotionless, and bored. She sounded as though all the personalitly had been sucked out of her and Chris hated it when she got like this. She had alternated between extreme sadness, and a complete lack of personality.

"A club," Chris said. He'd been trying to get her out of her apartment for a week now. It had been two weeks since the Cody incident, and she had finished mourning the boy, and was now depressed. She needed to get out of the house. "Dessert Rose has a gig tonight and we—I—want you to come. Please."

"If I go, will you stop nagging me?"

"Yes."

"Fine."

"I'll pick you up at seven then."

* * *

At six o'clock, Ravyn glanced at her watch, wondered briefly if she should dress up for this, decided that Chris would make her if she didn't, and started to get ready. She put on her stiletto heels, and a little black dress; one of her favorites. She lined her eyes with kohl, which produced a nicer and longer-lasting effect than eyeliner. She wore her hair down, and swept the kohl out from her eyes towards her hairline, as she'd seen Evelyn do before she performed. She spread glitter on her eyelids and along the kohl line. She altered her appearance so that her eyes changed from gray to dark brown and then put on mascara. She put on a lip gloss that made her lips shimmer, and sat down to wait for Chris.

There was a knock on her door at exactly seven o'clock. She opened it and smiled thinly at Chris, telling him clear as day that she didn't want to be along on this little excursion. He smiled warmly back, seeming not to notice.

"You look beautiful," Chris told her as they walked to the club.

"Flattery will get you nowhere," Ravyn informed him. "I do not want to go to this thing. Got it?"

"Got it." Chris appeared chastised, but inside he was grinning madly. It was the first time since Cody's death that she had sounded anything like her old self.

* * *

When they got to the club, Chris bought her a drink, and then went to go help the band set up. She looked around the club, looking at different people, and wondering what they were thinking. She could easily have gone into their minds to find out, but since the incident with Cody, she had been unwilling to use her power.

At eight, a man got up on the stage and introduced Desert Rose, Chris's band, and then they began to play. Ravyn found herself tapping her foot along with the beat, and moving her hips slightly as she listened. She had heard Desert Rose play many times, on many different occasions, and she knew all of their songs. She was surprised when she found herself humming along and mouthing the words along with Chris.

_He has a very sexy voice_, she thought. _Very sexy indeed. _

The band stopped playing after a while and everyone stopped dancing, and clapped.

Chris went up to the mike and Ravyn got a bad feeling in her gut. He was going to say something about her. She knew it.

She was right.

"This next song is for an old friend of mine," he said. "She's been having a rough time of it lately and this song is for her."

The band began to play quietly, and all around the club couples began to dance to the slow music. Chris had moved his guitar around behind him and was standing by the microphone, waiting for his cue to begin singing. When it came, he began to weave his voice with the music, in that wonderful, sexy way, that always made Ravyn want him.

_We all need to forget  
__Some of us more than most  
__When reality gets too real  
__And the fires of hell too close  
__But I'm here to let you know  
__That you can make it through  
__If you believe that someone is watching over you._

He looked directly at Ravyn as he sang the first verse and she felt her heart skip a beat. She knew that he was referring to the night of Cody's death. That night, he had spent the entire night be her side and watched over her, waking her whenever she began to dream. She was thoroughly convinced that without his help, she wouldn't have made it through that first night.

_Call it an angel  
__Call it a muse  
__Call it karma that you've got coming to you  
__What's the difference?  
__What's in a name?  
__What matters most is never ever losing faith  
__Cause__ it's gonna be alright  
__You're not alone tonight._

She smiled up at him and he smiled back. The song was beautiful, and it seemed to fit their situation exactly. She wondered if he had written the song himself. It wouldn't have surprised her, and she rather hoped he had.

_We all have our days  
__When nothing goes as planned  
__Not a soul in the world  
__Seems to understand  
__And for someone to talk to  
__You'd give anything  
__Well go on and cry out loud  
__Cause someone's listening._

He was always there for her, she realized. Whenever something had gone wrong in her life, he had been there. He laughed with her and he held her when she cried. It was something no one else had ever done for her.

_And call it an angel  
__Call it a muse  
__Call it karma that you've got coming to you  
__What's the difference?  
__What's in a name?  
__What matters most is never ever losing faith  
__Cause__ it's gonna be alright  
__You're not alone tonight._

_Keep your faith alive  
__You're not the only one_

He was right. She wasn't alone. She had him. And she always would, whenever she needed him. She bit her lip, wishing she could tell him everything about her, and let him decide for himself if he still wanted to be with her. But she knew if she did that, she risked losing him, and that was something she didn't want to risk, even though it meant that she couldn't have him.

_And call it an angel  
__Call it a muse  
__Call it karma that you've got coming to you  
__What's the difference?  
__What's in a name?  
__What matters most is never ever losing faith  
__Cause__ it's gonna be alright  
__You're not alone tonight._

They finished and Chris moved his guitar back around in front of him. They played through another song, giving Ravyn time to think. The song meant a lot to her. And it was right. She wasn't alone. She had Chris. He had helped her through this crisis, and a few others. He had always been there when she needed him. And she hoped he always would be.

She remembered his words to her early that night.

_It's time to start living again_.

He was right, she realized. It was time for her to start living again. They needed to get this Kraven job over and done with, and that meant she had to snap out of the rut she was in and get back into her job. And she would.

The song finished and the band instantly launched into another one. Ravyn recognized the opening cords and grinned. It was the song they had played the last time she had been on the job. Chris was asking if she was ready to get back on the job. She put her drink down and went out onto the dance floor and began to dance, answering his question without words.

* * *

A/N: Like? Please please please please review!! I didn't get as many reviews for the last chapter as I would of liked. sigh oh well. I'll get over it. I guess it means that you guys will just have to wait longer for the next chapter. Oh, and speaking of waiting, school has started. I did a stupid thing and WAY overloaded my schedule this year, and took a bunch of hard classes with a ton and a half of homework. And on top of that, I started dancing again. And I had a large part in the school play. Add it all together and you get very little time to sleep, let alone write. But if I get reviews, I might be more inclined to write fast. Hint hint!


	7. Kraven

A/N: I tried to make this chapter a little longer, but it didn't really work too hot. Originally, I was going to have Ravyn tell Chris about herself, but I changed my mind halfway through. That will happen in counts on fingers two or three chapters I think. Or maybe it's the next one. I don't know. But anyway, I hope you all like this chapter, and please please PLEASE review!! 

Disclaimer: I do not own anyone that I didn't make up. So don't sue.

* * *

Chapter Seven: Kraven

As Ravyn danced, she released her tight hold on the wall that separated her mind from everyone else's and allowed it to drift through those of others in the club. It was mostly out of habit, but she had shied away from touching minds with anyone, even Chris, since Cody's death. She felt that if she was going to truly become herself again, she had to allow herself to read minds again.

She didn't encounter anything out of the ordinary as she sifted through the minds of those in the club. She didn't expect to; there was no reason she should. She was just out to have fun; she wasn't on the job or anything.

But then she touched a mind that was far older than any human had a right to be, older even than Selene.

_A vampire_, she realized, and then, a heart beat later, _Kraven. _She withdrew hurriedly from Kraven's mind and reached out to Chris.

_Kraven's here,_ she told him.

_Can you get to him,_ Chris thought back, not even pausing in his singing.

_I'll need another song._

_I'll do my best, but don't take unnecessary risks._

_Of course. _

The song was almost finished. Ravyn began to shift through the minds again until she found Kraven's and she marked it with a bit of power. Her eyes shifted through the crowds as she moved into the last measures of the dance, looking for the ebony glow her power had left. She found it in the form of a tall, dark-haired man. He was staring at her. She met his dark eyes and smiled, then dropped her gaze as she went into the last move of her dance, a combination of two hip shimmies. Then she walked off the dance floor, striding purposefully away from the dancers as Chris motioned to his band. She and Kraven made eye contact again and she saw his eyes turn slowly from dark brown to brilliant blue and back. In response, she let her own eyes flick to blue before quickly reverting back to grey, confirming her own identity.

Kraven smiled and began making his way towards her, threading his way easily through the crowd. He reached her as the next song began and leaned over, his dark hair falling forward and brushing her cheek. One hand rested lightly on her arm.

"Walk with me," he whispered in her ear, his low voice tinged by a slight Irish accent.

"I'd love to," Ravyn said with a smile, ignoring the anger she could feel emanating from Chris. She was also ignoring the nervous fluttering in her stomach. Kraven was very good at plotting, she knew. He had fooled Ordoghaz for six centuries with one of his plots. He was a smooth talker and he thought fast on his feet, though he was quick to anger, and less careful when his temper was in full swing.

_So I have to get him angry,_ she thought. _Talk about Mom, I guess. That'll piss him off. I hope. _

"You're Ravyn?" Kraven asked, as they walked towards one end of the club.

"Yes. And you're Kraven."

"I hear the Chicago Police have set you and your boyfriend on my trail."

"Yes," Ravyn replied calmly, refusing to let him bait her. She knew now that he knew about her situation with Chris. How he had found out was a mystery, but he knew. She would have to be careful. He could use Chris against her.

"Does that mean that this is a truce?"

"If you choose to look at it like that. I could be getting ready to bite you." Ravyn tried her best to imitate the way her mother was always impossibly calm in a fight. She had to keep her cool and not let Kraven see her fear.

"I'm already a vampire," Kraven pointed out.

"You forget," Ravyn said mildly. "I'm Michael's daughter as well as Selene's. That makes me a hybrid." Very slowly, she let her eyes go first crystalline vampire blue, then a lycan cobalt, then, very slowly, let them turn the pitch black of the hybrid.

"The Corvinus strain does not transmit in a bite. If I were to bite you, you would die."

There was a pause, and Ravyn took the opportunity to delve into Kraven's mind and see what lay hidden. She couldn't see much, because somehow, Kraven had learned to put up a wall. But what little she could see of his mind showed her a slight fear of her as a hybrid, and mass of anger at Selene for her rejection of him.

She could also see that he had a secret. A secret that could harm her. A secret that had something to do with a man named Xareth.

Ravyn felt a cold fear clutch at her body when she realized that Kraven had had contact with Xareth. That alone made him a force to be reckoned with.

She hid her fear behind a mask. She was glad she had let her mother teach her how to do that. Her father had argued against it, saying it was bad enough to see that "Death Dealer mask" on his wife, let alone his daughter. But Ravyn had learned anyway and now it was coming in handy.

"I see," Kraven said, his voice showing no trace of the fear she knew he felt. "I'd best be careful then, shouldn't I?"

"Yes." She paused, trying to think of a way to work her mother into the conversation. "I would like to know how you knew who I was."

"You resemble Selene very much. I made occasional trips back to Ordoghaz while you were still young, and I remember your face."

"You wanted my mother, didn't you?"

Kraven didn't answer, only looked at the dancers.

"But she turned you down, didn't she? For a _lycan_." She could feel the anger building in him as he was forced to remember the rejection.

"And on top of all that, she revealed your deception to Viktor," Ravyn continued, carefully keeping her voice neutral and still being sure to touch on old wounds that had not quite healed.

"You have no idea what you're talking about," Kraven snapped at her, whirling on her and glaring furiously. Ravyn looked him directly, refusing to back down and let any trace of fear show.

"You weren't even born then!" Kraven took a menacing step towards her, but Ravyn quickly darted into his mind and stopped him from advancing any further. Kraven's jaw twitched as he tried to move, but she would not relinquish her hold on his body.

"I may not have lived through it, but I've heard all the stories, and I know what I'm talking about." She paused. Kraven was panicking and his wall had collapsed, and she was at last able to see what he was hiding: he had cold iron. Fear shot through her, but she hid it behind her mask. "And I know that you have a bit of cold iron in your pocket. You think it will protect you from me. But I really ought to tell you, I am immune to cold iron."

That was a bald-faced lie, but he didn't need to know that. He obviously didn't know that it had to be in direct contact with her to be effective, and she saw no reason to tell him that.

"Now, I'm going to tell you something, and when I'm done, you will turn around and walk out of this club. And then you'll go back to your hole in the ground, or wherever it is you live." She smiled sweetly at him, then leaned forward and whispered something in his ear. His eyes widened, and then he turned and walked out of the club.

Once he was safely out the door, she released her hold on him and heaved a sigh of relief. He was gone. She was no longer in danger from his cold iron. It had been strong cold iron too. If she had been touching it when she had touched his mind... She didn't want to think about it.

She could feel Chris trying to contact her. She reached out with her mind and touched his mind to hers.

_Yes?_

_Are you okay?_ His mind-voice sounded very concerned. _You seem freaked out._

_He had cold iron._ An involuntary shiver ran through her.

_Did you touch it?_

_No. I'm fine. Just a little rattled. _She paused, and smiled. _But I bet Kraven's even more rattled. _

_We're almost done. Two more songs and we can go home. Think you can make it?_

_Sure. _She broke contact with Chris headed towards the bar to wait. Her stomach rumbled. She realized that she hadn't fed in a week. Hybrids could last longer without feeding than either vampires or lycans, but she would need to feed tonight. She tried to remember if she had any of the cloned blood left that her mother had sent her. She thought she did, but she wasn't sure.

She bit her lip, wondering if she should tell Chris. She was tired of trying to hide it from him, and she felt he deserved to know the truth. But she knew if she told him, he would probably not want to have anything more to do with her. Neither vampires nor lycans were held in high esteem by humans, and hybrids of the two probably even less.

She sighed, wishing she could, but knowing all the while that she would never be able to work up the courage.

She heard his voice up on stage and she could see in her mind's eye exactly what he was doing, without using her power to look.

He was standing on stage, playing his guitar, his stance dominate, his voice strong. He stood close to the mike, his face full of emotion, and his strong voice weaving seamlessly into the music.

She sighed. He was so sexy. She wanted him, but she knew she could never have him. Not unless she could come clean about her real species.

She sighed again, and tried to focus on the bar in front of her and block Chris from her thoughts.

When the second song ended, Chris thanked the audience, and the band started to pack up.

Chris helped them load everything into a van, and then he and Ravyn started to walk home.

"Feeling better?" he asked.

"Yes, much," she replied. "It was the song that did it. Did you write it?"

"Sort of. I reworded the lyrics of another song to fit the occasion."

"I see." She crossed her arms as they walked, to ward off the chill. They were about halfway back to her apartment.

There was a pause, then Chris said, "How did it go with Kraven?"

"Okay. He's easier to deal with when he's mad. He forgets himself easier. I started talking about Mom, and he got really pissed."

"I'm not sure I follow that."

"He wanted her. She said no. Then she met my dad and married him. Kraven doesn't like my dad."

"Because he married your mom?"

"Partially. It's also because he's a ly—a doctor."

Chris raised an eyebrow at her slip and Ravyn cursed herself mentally, but by then they were at her apartment, so she had an excuse to leave quickly.

"Well, here we are. I guess I'll see you later!" She turned and fled before Chris could even say goodnight.

* * *

A/N: Well, that's the end of this one. Hope you liked it. I've already started on chapter eight, so that should be up sometime around the beginning of October, because that's the next time I'll have enough time to type it up and that's when the play is over with, and I will finally have a life again. YAY!!! I wrote this one on Labor Day, but it took my beta forever to get through with it. But she promises to be quicker on the next one. However. I only got four reviews of my last chapter. I don't know if that's because I'm a horrible writer, and no one has bothered to tell me, or you all just don't feel the need to review. Whichever it is, I would appreciate if you would review anyway. Even if you hated it. Tell me why, so I can improve. If you liked it, review. PLEASE!!!! I'm begging you!! I really like writing this stuff, and if it weren't for the undying support of a few people (Moose, Lady K, and Khayla) I wouldn't post on this story at all. But I would still really appreciate it if everyone who reads this, reviews. Or I might be forced to stop posting, and just email the chapters to those who always review...

eviLeLmo: Jack told Ravyn to kill Cody, essentially. I'm glad you like Chris's band's name. I went to camp this summer and my friend wanted to put him and his band into her fic, and we needed to come up with a name, and we were listening to Sting, so we thought, hells bells, why not? Thanks for your review.

Lady K: If you have a lycan, can I borrow him? I want to sic him on Moose for trying to write two or three stories at once. I'm glad you liked the songfic. I had a bit of a hard time with it, because at the time I was really in the mood to write, I was in the middle of my AP class, and I couldn't write, or listen to my CD player. So by the time I got home, I still wanted to write, but the inspiration had dissipated quite a bit. Oh well, it turned out okay. I'm glad you've officially decided you like Chris, because it would be very difficult to put Ravyn and Chris together if you didn't like him. How's MI coming? I really really really want to find out what happens. I hope Michael and Selene get back together soon. I feel so sorry for them both!

Khayla: I'm sorry the shortness bothered you. You'll get over it. You always do. I always write short chapters and you know it. You want long chapters, go read moose's fic. The play's almost over, though, so hopefully, we can see some faster, and longer, updates. Happy?

Samara Morgan-Ring: It always takes me forever to post because my beta takes forever to read. Please don't sic the purple bunnies of nauseating cuteness on me!!! I'll do anything!!!!!


	8. Captured!

A/N: I'm reposting this chapter. The author's note below is the original, which I thought I'd keep. I didn't change a lot, but a fair amount. If you don't want to reread the whole thing, then refer to the author's note at the end, it details the specifics of what I changed. This new version is dedicated to Kesaria, because she gave me the ideas for this new version. You are a genius!!! Please review! Thanks!

A/N: I just want you all to know that this is one of my not-so-good chapters. There's a lot of stuff in here that fall under the category of, "my goodness, that's convenient" and several things that are ridiculous. My muse and editor was not fond of it. I just thought I'd let you all know that this one will not be one of the best chapters. I was really stressed when I wrote it, and every time I try and rewrite it, it comes out even worse. I think I'm loosing it. Also, I am sincerely considering not writing this story anymore because I'm not getting the feedback I got with Far from Over. I don't know if it's because Far From Over is better, or what the deal is. But I only got six reviews for chapter seven. Now, according to , I am on the watch list of 32 people. I have never gotten a review from more than half of you. Now, if you put me on your list during Far from Over, and don't like Assassin as much, please tell me. I want to know exactly what you guys think of this story, good or bad, because you guys' opinions are going to determine whether I post chapter nine or not. Now, without further ado, Chapter Eight!

Disclaimer: Ravyn and Chris are mine....Kraven's not.

* * *

Chapter Eight: Captured!

Ravyn shut the door to her apartment, feeling inexplicably exhausted. She had felt fine when she'd left Chris a few minutes ago, but after climbing the three sets of stairs up to her apartment, she felt as though she'd just run a marathon.

_Why am I so tired?_ she wondered as she kicked off her shoes and fell backward onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling. _Did Kraven do something to me?_

It was the only explanation she could think of, but it didn't seem likely. She hadn't seen anything in his mind indicating that he had, but then, she hadn't been looking. Nothing has been given to her directly, but it was always possible that he had injected it or something.

_Without my noticing?_ she scoffed at herself. She pulled her tired body higher up onto the bed and fell asleep quickly, not noticing the slightly greasy spot on her arm.

* * *

Chris was worried about Ravyn. She had been acting very oddly lately, starting to say things, then stopping in the middle to say something completely different. It seemed as though she was keeping something from him. he wondered what it was. He didn't think it could be _that_ bad. After all, they had committed what was generally regarded as one of the worst crimes—murder—together.

He'd always known there was something about Ravyn that she'd kept secret from him. He'd always thought it had something minor she'd done in her past that she didn't want him to know about. But now he was beginning to wonder.

He thought it might have something to do with Kraven. Her strange behavior had started around the time that they'd found out who they were supposed to kill.

Well, if it had anything to do with their assignment, she would have to tell him. He picked up the phone and dialed her number.

She didn't pick up. After several rings, he heard the annoying automated voice that served as her answering machine.

_Avoiding me, maybe?_ he wondered and dialed again.

Again, the annoying automated voice answered the phone. He hung up on it and dialed again quickly, almost throwing the phone across the room when the automated voice began to speak.

He put the phone down and grabbed his keys. He left his apartment and locked the door behind him. He ran the block over to Ravyn's apartment and knocked on the door. There was no response.

"Ravyn?" he called. She didn't answer. "Ravyn, are you in there?" He knocked again, and waited, but heard no footsteps, or voices.

"Ravyn, is everything all right?"

Silence.

Frowning in confusion, Chris tested the door, and found that it was unlocked. He pushed it open.

_Something's wrong_, he thought. _She_ never_ leaves her door unlocked!_

The apartment was dark and silent. If he hadn't seen her go into the building, he would have thought she wasn't home. But Ravyn always locked her door. Something funny was going on. He stepped over her shoes as he walked through her hallway.

His heart sped. Something was definitely wrong. Images flashed through his mind, making him even more panicky. He tried to think logically, but he couldn't think, couldn't focus. All he could think of was finding Ravyn, and making sure she was okay.

He made his way quickly through her apartment, examining each room carefully. He didn't see anything until he got to her bedroom. He hesitated before going in. He had never been in her room before, and he wasn't sure it was the best idea to go in there without her permission.

_But what if something's happened to her?_ he couldn't help but wonder. Mind made up, he opened the door and walked in.

She was lying on the bed, sleeping peacefully. Her long black hair was spread out like a halo around her, contrasting sharply with her pale skin. He sighed with relief. She was okay. She still wore her clothes, which seemed odd to Chris. He walked closer to the bed, wondering if he should wake her and demand answers or let her sleep.

A loud bang resounded in the apartment.

"What the..." Chris walked quickly towards the door and looked out, and he saw figures moving in the entrance to the apartment. He looked back towards Ravyn, shocked to see that she was still asleep. He crossed the room to her and touched her shoulder, saying her name.

She didn't stir on inch, not even when he shook her gently.

_Did Kraven drug her?_ he wondered, and looked at her more carefully. He saw a spot on her arm that was slightly shiny. He bent over to look at it closely, not realizing that one of the darkly-clad figures had entered the room and was close behind him.

Pain exploded in the back of his head and he fell forward with a cry of pain as darkness consumed him and he knew no more.

* * *

When Chris woke, he was in a sitting position. His head throbbed with pain and something was wrong with his arms. When he tried to move them, they wouldn't budge. He realized he had been tied up. At the same time, he realized he couldn't see. At first, he thought that it was because the room he was in was really dark. Then he realized that his eyes were closed.

He opened his eyes, and he could see a little better, but not much. The only light in the room was the little beams of moonlight that came through the small window high above them. He looked around, trying to figure out what was going on.

He was tied to some sort of pole and there was someone on the other side. He could feel the soft fabric of the person's shirt against his hands, and their hands were pressing into his back. The room appeared to be part of an unfinished basement. There was a window in the ceiling, looking up at the sky. The moon was just below the window. An hour or so, and it would be visible through the dirty glass, and he would be able to see better.

His head felt horrible. He wondered what he had been hit with. It felt like he had been hit with an anvil or something.

He tried to focus on the person behind him. Who could it be? From the texture of the shirt, he thought it might be a woman.

The person groaned. _Ravyn! _he realized. What was she doing here?

She groaned again, trying to move herself.

"Ravyn?" he asked, concerned. "Are you alright?"

"Chris?" she said groggily. "What are you doing in my apartment?"

"We're not in your apartment, Ravyn. Look around."

There was a pause, then, "Where are we then?"

"Search me."

She groaned again and closed her eyes, trying to go back to sleep and pretend that this was all a very bad dream. But when she opened them again, she was still in a dingy unfinished basement. She felt tired, but not in a normal way. It felt as though she'd just woken from a drug-induced sleep. She tried to stand, but found that her arms wouldn't move to support her.

She had been tied up. But by who? And why?

Somewhere above them, a door opened and light poured through, illuminating a set of stairs. A figure appeared in the doorway and started down the stairs. It stopped halfway down, then called up to someone.

"Yo, boss! They're awake!"

"Then put them back to sleep," a familiar voice called back. It was Kraven. Ravyn desperately tried to get her mind to work, but the figure was advancing quickly. He had something in his hand. What was it? It didn't _look _like a gun, but she couldn't tell through the darkness.

He walked up to her and said, "Night-night, Kitten," before he pressed something against her arm. A spasm of pain flashed through her, and she collapsed forward into unconsciousness.

* * *

When Ravyn woke again, she was surrounded by silence. Her mind seemed to have cleared of the drug fog, and she was at last able to think. She thought back over everything she remembered to see if she could figure out what had happened.

Kraven had drugged her somehow, that much she was certain. Then he had captured her and brought her to his—what? His house? His lair? She still didn't know where they were, and until she did, she couldn't do anything to get them out.

She tried to twist and see if she could see what she was bound with, but couldn't pull herself far enough away from the pole she was bound to.

_Damn._

The movement made her arm hurt. She looked at it and saw blood.

_What did that bastard do to me?_

And what about Chris? She had no way of knowing what had happened to him after she had been knocked unconscious. She could still feel his hands against her back, but that didn't mean anything._ He's probably unconscious too_, she tried to reassure herself. _Or dead. _

"Chris?" she asked, suddenly frantic. "Are you okay?"

He groaned.

_Not dead then,_ she thought relieved.

"Chris? Answer me."

"I'm okay," he said, but he didn't sound okay. "Head hurts like a son of a bitch, though. Do you know where we are?"

"We're with Kraven."

Chris groaned. "Figures."

"I could try to do a mind-read on someone upstairs. Figure out exactly where we are and how to get out."

"Okay, but be careful. Don't let them catch you."

"I'm always careful," she retorted. "Besides, very few humans can tell when I'm reading their minds."

"It's those few I'm worried about," Chris muttered.

"Hush. It's hard enough to read minds through doors without you talking."

Chris was silent, and Ravyn sighed and shut her eyes. She calmed her mind, taking deep breaths, then released her walls.

White hot pain seared through her mind, spreading through her body, and she screamed.

"Ravyn?" Chris asked, desperately trying to turn and see what was happening to her.

Her body writhed with pain and she couldn't see, couldn't hear, couldn't feel anything but the pain.

_What's happening to me?_ she thought, trying to figure out where the pain was coming from. Slowly, she found that it had concentrated itself in two places: her mind and her wrists.

_Cold iron!_ she realized dimly before lapsing into unconsciousness.

* * *

Kraven sat in the kitchen, drinking gratefully from his goblet of blood. It had been a while since he'd fed properly. The thick warmth of the blood tasted good as it washed down his throat, doing away with the last lingering taste of beer.

A scream pierced the stillness of the house, causing Kraven to jump and slosh his blood onto the counter.

"Shit!" he said, shaking the spilled blood off his hands.

Then he smiled. The girl must have tried to use her magic. It seemed she was not immune to cold iron after all. He'd had his doubts, after what she'd said in the club, but had decided to try it anyway. It seemed he had been right.

* * *

She came to a few minutes later, to the sound of Chris's voice. At first she couldn't make out what he was saying, because the pain was still fogging her mind, but it was no longer as powerful as it had been.

"Ravyn! Answer me, dammit!" He sounded almost scared.

"I'm alright," she said softly. It hurt to talk; her throat was raw from her scream. "Won't be doing that again, though."

"What happened?"

"Cold iron," she said simply. It was becoming difficult to stay conscious. She fought against the darkness trying to consume her.

Chris started to say something, but was interrupted by Kraven's voice.

"Awake, I see." He stood in the doorway, bathed in a golden light. He reached out and touched something on the wall, and Ravyn winced as light attacked her eyes. Kraven smiled and began to descend the stairs. He smelled of blood and, unable to help herself, Ravyn's eyes turned blue and her canines elongated into fangs. She realized she had not fed in a week, and the scent of blood was arousing her hunger.

"And hungry. I have some more upstairs, if you'd like." Two bulky men carrying guns followed him down the stairs.

Ravyn licked her lips. She'd like far better to dig her teeth into Kraven's neck, but she'd settle for cloned blood. Her hunger was overcoming her pain, and she could think clearly again, though there was still a constant ache in her mind and her wrists.

"What do you want, Kraven?" she asked, trying to force back her bloodlust.

"A number of things. My place in the Coven, for one. Selene as my consort, for another. Lucian and that filthy human dead. An address of a woman named Evelyn for a friend of mine. And maybe, to top it all off, your death."

"And what makes you think I'm going to give any of that to you?"

"I have something you want."

"What could you have that I could possibly want?"

Kraven didn't answer, but motioned to the two heavies behind him. They moved forward and jerked Ravyn and Chris to their feet. Then they untied Chris and brought him to Kraven. He struggled, but they held him tightly. Ravyn heart dropped into her stomach. She knew what Kraven would do if she didn't give him what he wanted.

But how could she? Endanger the life of her mother and father? Evelyn? Adara and Amarice, who had been like sisters to her? And if Kraven was back in power, there was no telling how many innocents he would kill! How could she give him what he wanted?

Kraven's lips took on a cruel smile. "You know," he said conversationally to her as he began to circle the struggling Chris. "I haven't had real blood in quite some time. Human blood is the most delicious of delicacies, wouldn't you agree? I've sampled it several times, and I never grow tire of its taste."

Chris was very pale, she could see. Kraven grinned, baring his sharp canines to them. His eyes were a brilliant blue. Chris had gone very still and stiff. His back was to her, so she couldn't see his face, but she could imagine his expression. The back of his neck was very pale.

On the other hand, how could she not?

She closed her eyes and sighed. "All right. Just...let him go. Please."

"You know," Kraven said, "I haven't read the actual Covenant itself, but I'm pretty sure it forbids other unions besides vampire and lycan."

"No one cares about the Covenant any more!" Ravyn spat back. "Not since Viktor's death."

"As you say," Kraven replied with a sigh. He gestured to the heavies again and one of them hit Chris on the head with his gun. He crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

"Chris!" Ravyn cried, unable to stop herself from calling out to him.

"He'll be fine. He may have a concussion, but he'll live." Kraven smirked at her. "Now then, let's start with Evelyn's address, shall we?"

* * *

When she woke, she felt groggy and disoriented.

_What happened?_ she thought. She thought back. She remembered telling Kraven everything he wanted to know, looking down at Chris, lying unconscious on the floor with blood coming from a wound where the gun had struck him. She remembered one of Kraven's thugs coming over to her, a needle in his hand, injecting a yellowish fluid into her neck. She had struggled against him, and all she had to show was a headache and a bruise on her cheek.

Chris was still unconscious. She struggled against her bonds. If she could just go to him...

Kraven had bound Ravyn with some sort of chain, which she thought must be the cold iron, and a rope. The rope would be easy to get off, once she got rid of the cold iron. But first she had to find the clasp to the stupid chain.

She shifted her hands, trying to make the chain move. Each time she did, the rope cut into her hands, but the chain shifted a little. It took her twenty minutes to get the chain rotated to where the clasp was. Her hands were slippery with blood, making it difficult for her fingers to work the clasp. The smell was driving her insane.

A door opened, and a beam of light spilled into the basement, as well as Kraven's voice.

"I have a lot to do tonight, Al," Kraven was saying. "I need you to watch the girl while I'm gone. She may try something stupid."

"What about that Evelyn woman?" the voice Ravyn presumed belonged to Al carried down the stairs to her.

"She's last on my list. I'll be back before sun rise." Footsteps sounded and a door slammed. The light in the doorway darkened, and Ravyn hurriedly shut her eyes. If he thought she was still out, she would be safe. She worked harder on the chain as quietly as she could.

The thug, Al, was wandering around the basement, holding his gun absently in his arm. She watched him through cracked eyelids, working her hands quietly behind her back. Blood dripped from her wrists, and she could barely focus because of the smell. It had been days since she'd last fed.

At last, the chain came free. Unable to prevent herself, she let loose a little sigh when the chain came free. The thug spun around, pointing his gun into the air above her head. She watched him wave the gun around nervously, gripping the rope and chain tightly in her hands. The thug stepped forward slowly and cautiously, looking around for the source of the sound.

_Three...two..._ she thought, _one!_

She leapt up, surprising the thug with her speed. She was a little surprised herself. Her head was still pounding from the effects of the cold iron, and her reactions were slower as a result, but she still managed to get behind him and loop the rope and chain around his neck.

He struggled, dropping his gun and trying to pull the rope away. He wasn't completely incompetent, she had to admit. If he leaned over any farther, she'd flip right off his back. He strained against the rope, leaning farther and farther forward.

_Just a little longer,_ she told herself. No luck. She flipped forward, loosing her grip on the rope and falling to the ground. She tucked herself into a ball, rolling away. He had one hand to his neck and was gasping for breath. She stood, looking at him, and her eyes were drawn to the visibly pulsing jugular in his neck.

Her eyes became electric blue and her vampyric fangs emerged. He looked up at her and saw her transformation. Fear formed in his eyes. She lunged, catching hold of him and sinking her fangs deeply into his neck.

Hot, tangy blood flowed into her mouth from the wound, and she drank it eagerly, sating her hunger.

* * *

Chris moaned softly. His head hurt horribly. The scent of blood hit him and he looked around, trying to find the source. He saw Ravyn, her long black hair loose and flowing down her back, her mouth fixed on the neck of a guard.

_What is she _doing he thought. She drew back for a moment and took a deep breath before replacing her mouth on the man's neck. In that moment, he saw fangs stained with blood, and a large bloody smear on the man's neck.

_This cannot be happening_, he thought, just before he fainted.

* * *

Ravyn licked her lips, removing the last traces of blood from her mouth. She dropped the now bloodless body of the guard. She hadn't had a good feed in days, maybe weeks. She looked around, thinking about what she should do next. Her eyes fell on the unconscious body of Chris.

She hurried over to him. His thick brown hair was matted with blood.

_Oh God_, Ravyn thought.

She pulled his head into her lap, running her fingers through his hair, trying to find the source of the blood. She found two cuts, one above his right ear, and the other near the crown of his head. She wished she had Evelyn's healing powers.

They needed to get out of here. If she could get him back to her apartment, she could do something for him. But here, in the dingy basement of Kraven's house, there was nothing. She needed to wake him up and get him out.

It seemed to take forever to wake him up, but it really didn't take more than a minute.

"Ravyn? How did you...?"

"Never mind that," she said quietly. "We've got to get out of here. Come on." She helped him to his feet and led him up the stairs. She hoped they wouldn't meet any more guards. While she felt much stronger for her feed, she wasn't sure she was up to another fight.

They were lucky. The house was deserted. Ravyn went to the back door and opened it, stepping outside into the crisp night air. She shivered.

They were on the south side of Chicago, she realized. _Well, a half unconscious man will be less suspicious, I guess. Don't know if that's a good thing._

She made her way towards the street, practically dragging Chris after her. He wasn't fully conscious yet. Every few steps, she spoke to him in a whisper, trying to keep him awake. She was sure he had a concussion, and a bad one. If he went to sleep, there was no telling what would happen.

She hailed a cab and climbed in.

"You need help lady?" the cabbie asked, seeing Chris's inert state.

"No, I can handle him, thank you," she replied in a terse voice. "Take Route fourteen to Oak Road. That's as far as I need to go."

"That's going to be expensive, lady. It's almost ten miles outside the city!"

"Yes, I am perfectly aware of that. Will you do it or not? I have the money."

The cabbie grumbled, but agreed. The pair was obviously in trouble. There was blood all over the man's shirt and the woman's wrists. He hoped he wasn't helping a pair of criminals escape.

When they arrived at the intersection Ravyn had named, the cabbie let them out and Ravyn paid him. He drove off, and she pulled Chris to his feet. She slung his arm around her shoulders and they started walking. It was probably a ten minute walk to Evelyn's house, but she was the only one who could help them.

_What if Kraven had us followed?_ she thought. _I'll lead them straight to her!_

The cold iron hadn't lost its effect yet; she couldn't tell if anyone was near. She sniffed the air. She would have to rely on her hybrid senses to smell anyone following them.

"Come on," she said to Chris, jostling him slightly to keep him awake.

"Where are we going?"

"A friend's house," she replied shortly.

"Where are we?"

"Trust me; I know where I'm going."

"Good, 'cause I sure as hell don't."

She didn't answer him.

"What just happened?"

"Hush."

They were in a neighborhood now. Ravyn looked around, trying to get her bearings.

"Ah, there it is, Saddle Ridge. Come on." She pulled him after her to a large white house. It was the only one on the street. Behind it were extensive fields and a stable. She walked around to a sliding glass door in the back and opened it.

She walked inside the kitchen, forced Chris to sit in a chair. He looked at, started to say something, then passed out. She felt his forehead. He had a raging fever. She needed to find Evelyn. She started up the stairs to the second floor when she met Amarice. Reece let out a little shriek of surprise and threw a stunning spell at her. Ravyn's body froze when the spell hit her.

"Ravyn?" Amarice asked incredulously. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm in trouble. I need a place to stay."

"Sure. Your room's still open, if you want it." She gave Ravyn an odd look, taking in her dirty and bloody party clothes, bare feet, and tangled hair.

Ravyn couldn't answer. Her vision was fading in and out. She could dimly hear Amarice calling her name, but she couldn't answer. She felt Amarice release the spell holding her body immobile, and wished she hadn't. She started to sway. She felt dizzy and drunk.

"Chris," she whispered, just before she passed out.

* * *

A/N: Here's the rundown on what got changed: I took out the whole bit about the ladder and the window. I replaced with a fight scene and something else. That scene is the one scene that is crucial to the next chapter. I highly suggest you read it, because if you don't, there are some things in the next chapter which won't make a lot of sense. I changed the ending up slightly. Basically, from the fight scene on, it's mostly new stuff. What do you guys think? Let me know, because this story depends on it! Even if it's bad, I want to know!! But thanks to those who DID review:

Irish-Chick13: Thank you for your review! I'm glad you liked Far From Over and the integration of some of its characters into this one. I do try to make my sequels actual sequels with similar characters and such. I hope you like this story enough to become a regular reviewer, because, believe me, they are greatly appreciated and loved by me. Thanks!

Kesaria: So glad to have you back! I've been wondering where you'd gotten to. Hope college is going well for you. Take your time with reading. I can imagine how time consuming college is, seeing as high school takes up most if not all of my time. Thanks for dropping in and letting me know you're liking it. I know this chapter is in serious need of a rewrite, but my editor is not being much help in that department, so feel free to suggest!

Angry Tolkein Purist: Glad you like it!

Moi: Glad your enjoying this story, and glad you liked Far From Over. Hopefully, this one will turn out as well! Please keep reading and reviewing!

Khayla: I'm feeling the love. Thanks for reviewing even though you'd already read it. I hope you liked this chapter, even though it wasn't up to par. Thanks for all your support!

Moose: even though you weren't much help with rewriting this chapter, I still love you. Chapter nine will hopefully satisfy you better. Please don't kick me out of your bubble! Thanks for all your love and support. I couldn't do this without you. Tell Mildred and Rupert I said hi.

**And to those who reviewed the first posting of this chapter: **

Alexa.G: Not soon enough, I promise you.

Jordy: I'm glad you liked it. I hope you like this new chapter and the one following it, because those two are, in my opinion, the best.

Psychotic Demetia: Orange redwood sticks? Isn't that a contradiction in terms?

Cheifhow: Chris is hot! I'm glad you like it.

Kesaria: As I said in my email: OMG YOU ARE A GENIUS!!!!! Thank you sooo much for this. I am eternally grateful. THANK YOU!!!!!

Rune: Glad you're enjoying it and thanks for the review!

Christine Marquez: With my new ending, I hope this fixes your question. She didn't tell Amarice before because...well...I didn't think of that. Now, it's because she passes out. Much better reason, don't you think?

Moose: Does this fix all your issues?


	9. The Truth

A/N: I would have had this posted weeks ago, except for computer problems, and then my editor was having computer problems (though hers were in the form of a brother, while mine had something to do with the hard drive) and so....yeah. Anyway, chapter ten is about half way done. It will be really long. Would you guys rather have one really long chapter, or two chapters of middling length with a cliffy? Please review and let me know. You know what's funny? Chapter nine of Far From Over was also called the truth. Hehe....I'll shut up now.

Disclaimer: Surprisingly all conversing characters in this chapter are mine. I don't own Selene, Michael, Lucian, Kraven, or Viktor though. Drat.

* * *

Chapter Nine: The Truth

When Chris woke, he was lying in a strange bed. He didn't know how he'd gotten there. The last thing he remembered was passing out in the chair Ravyn had pushed him into after struggling to stay conscious throughout their trip from the city to...wherever they were.

Where was Ravyn anyway? She wasn't anywhere in the room with him, and he couldn't help but think that maybe that was a good thing. After what he'd seen last night... The image of her...feeding—that was the only word he could think of to describe what he'd seen—flashed through his mind over and over, and he shuddered with horror.

He sat up and ran his hands through his hair. It was clean. He looked at his hand in shock. He knew that he had been bleeding last night. He distinctly remembered bleeding. He touched his head carefully, feeling for the cuts that he knew were there. They were gone.

A blonde woman walked in, carrying a tray. She looked to be in her late thirties or early forties, and was very tall. She set the tray on a table by the bed and said, "My name is Evelyn, and I'll be your waitress today, so if you're ready to order, I'll be glad to take it."

He stared at her.

"It's a joke," she explained. "Never mind." She picked up the tray and set it on the bed, trapping his legs under it. "Ravyn made you pancakes," she told him.

He nodded dumbly.

"Let me see your head," she commanded. "I want to see if I fixed you as much as I thought I did."

"That was you?" he said, shocked into speaking.

"Ah, so you do talk." She laughed. "I was beginning to wonder." She inspected his head briefly. "It all seems to be in order. Of course, Ravyn's the only one who will be able to make sure your mind's still okay, but I'd wait a bit before you do that. You two have some things to talk about first."

Evelyn left the room, closing the door behind her. Chris began to eat his pancakes. The door opened again and Ravyn stepped into the room. She looked at him, leaning against the door, her hands behind her back. They just looked at each other for a minute, then Ravyn broke the silence, saying, "It's weird, seeing you in here."

"Why's that?"

"This was my room," she said, simply, looking around and taking in the bookshelves lined with books, the white walls, the impersonal-ness of the room that was somehow lessened by his presence. She crossed the room and sat down on the bed next to him.

"Chris," she said, reaching for his hands. He flinched away. "What is it? What's wrong?"

He picked up the tray and moved it off his legs. He looked at her, trying to speak, but unable to get the words past his lips. He got out of the bed and went to the wall. He leaned his forehead against it. He could almost feel Ravyn on the bed, wanting to get up, but afraid of his reaction.

"Chris?" she asked. "What's going on?"

"I could ask you that same goddamn question!" he exploded. "What the hell happened last night?"

"Chris, I—" she started to say, but he cut her off.

"I saw you _drinking the blood_ of a guard," he told her angrily. "What the hell is going on? Who _are_ you? _What_ are you?"

"Oh God," Ravyn said. Her hand pressed against her lips, trying to force back the confession she knew was coming, and was afraid to let out. "Oh God." She sat there, motionless, trying to think. Nothing came to mind. _How did Mom tell Dad what she was? How can I...?_

She took a deep breath and stood, facing him. "Chris, I'm...I'm not exactly human."

"No shit."

"I am the daughter of vampire...and a werewolf."

"You're joking," Chris said. He had expected something weird, but this...

"No. I'm not. It's a long story, but the Cliff Notes version is: there was a war between the vampires and lycans—werewolves," she explained. "My mother was a Death Dealer—a soldier—for the vampires. She thought that the lycans killed her family. My father was a human, but he had this special gene that would let him be bitten by both a lycan and vampire and live. He was bitten by Lucian, the leader of the lycans."

"That name sounds familiar," Chris said. He was feeling a little calmer, and he moved closer to the bed.

"Kraven mentioned him. Lucian and Kraven had a deal to end the war and take over the vampires. Kraven thought Lucian lied to him, so he shot him."

"And he's still alive?"

"I'm getting there," she told him. "Mom's sire showed up, and then Kraven shot Dad with silver nitrate, which would have killed him if Lucian hadn't told Mom to bite him."

"Silver nitrate?"

"It's a special bullet," she explained. "Specifically engineered by the vampires to kill lycans. The lycans had ultraviolet ones to kill vampires. Anyway, Dad and Mom's sire fought, and she ended up killing him. Her sire, not my dad," she added quickly. "And then I was born."

She stopped.

"So why were you drinking that guy's blood?"

"Chris! Weren't you listening! I'm part vampire! That's what vampires do; we drink blood. I hadn't fed in days. It was either him or you. And there was no way I was going to bite you."

"Well, that's comforting," he muttered sarcastically. She went around the bed to him and took his hands.

"Chris, I would never hurt you," she told him softly, squeezing his hands. He looked away, and his eyes fell on their hands. He saw thin white lines encircling her wrists.

"Ravyn, what happened to your wrists?" he asked, holding up one of her hands. "Where did these scars come from?"

"Those are from the cold iron. It cut into me when I was trying to get free."

He stared at her. "I thought...How long have I been out?" he asked, confused.

She laughed. "Not long. Hybrids have the ability to heal quickly."

He stared at her. With everything else she had told him, this was just too much. He let go of her hands.

"Chris," she started, trying desperately to calm the wild look in his eyes. "I'm still me. I'm still Ravyn."

He shook his head, trying to clear it. "I...I have to..." he trailed off. Shaking his head again, he turned away and left the room.

"Chris!" Ravyn called after him. "Chris, please!" But he was already gone.

* * *

Chris left the basement and went outside, thankfully encountering no one. He couldn't think, couldn't focus, couldn't believe what she'd just told him. How could she have kept such a big secret from him for so long?

He looked around, realizing he had only a faint idea of where he was. Oh well, he'd find his way back eventually. He didn't know if he even wanted to go back.

He felt her mind probing for his, and shut her out. He didn't want to talk to her right now.

"How could she have lied to me?" he wondered aloud. When she was in his mind, he was in hers too; how could she have kept something like her _species_ from him was a mystery to him.

And why? Didn't she think she could trust him? She knew how he felt about her.

He thought about everything that had happened since they had gotten the job to kill Kraven. Suddenly, it all made sense. Every time she had corrected herself, said things he knew were half-truths, she had been covering up her real self.

But what was her real self? She was a killer; he had seen that in Kraven's basement when she'd drunk that guard's blood. But he knew that already. He had helped her kill, had killed himself. Was it possible that she was still the same girl he had always known and loved, but just not human?

As he thought this, he realized it was true. He _did_ love her, and screw her species. It didn't matter. She was still his Ravyn.

He looked around, and hoped it wouldn't take too long to get back.

* * *

Ravyn sat on the front porch. Chris had closed his mind to her. All she could do was wait—and hope—for him to come back.

He had seemed to be taking it well, until he saw the scars on her wrists. She stared at them and rubbed them gingerly. She wished they would go away. But she knew it would be a long time before they were gone. Evelyn had had hers for years.

She wished she had told him earlier, before they'd even started this job. Maybe then he wouldn't have reacted the way he did and left her.

There was a sound behind her. She turned and saw Amarice.

"Hey," she said softly. "You okay?"

Ravyn shrugged. To be honest, she didn't know.

"You told Chris, didn't you?" Ravyn nodded. "Didn't take it well?"

She shook her head. "No."

"He'll come back," Amarice told her. She said it like it was a fact, without the slightest hint of doubt in her voice.

"How do you know?"

"I've been where you are." Ravyn raised an eyebrow at her, then went back to watching the road for Chris.

"You remember Rhys?" Amarice asked. Ravyn nodded absently. Rhys was Amarice's betrothed in the Other World. He was a prince, and his kingdom and Amarice's had been enemies for a long time, and their marriage was to be a political one as well as a love match. "His power killed his little sister when he was young. He renounced magic. When I told him what I was, well, he reacted much the same way Chris did."

Ravyn turned her attention to her friend. Amarice's voice was very serious. "He avoided me for weeks, even tried to break off our engagement. But he realized that my power is part of me, and that it doesn't really matter. Chris will come back. If he's really the one for you, he'll come back. I promise."

Ravyn looked at her for a long moment, then said, voice and eyes filling with tears, "What if he doesn't?" Amarice leaned forward and wrapped her arms around her friend. "He will. I know it. I can sense the love he has for you. He'll come back. Trust me."

She stroked Ravyn's hair as she cried, waiting patiently for the tears to subside. When they did, she pulled away, holding Ravyn at arm's length.

"Do you love him?" she asked seriously. Ravyn sniffed and nodded.

"Then you have nothing to worry about." Amarice clasped her friend's shoulder and went inside.

Ravyn wiped the tears from her face and looked out to the road. Chris was there, at the very end of it. She stood eagerly and hurried across the lawn to meet him.

* * *

Chris saw her rise from her place on the front step and move towards him. He broke into a run. As he drew nearer he saw that she had been crying.

"Ravyn," he said, just before he embraced her. He held her close, savoring the feel of her body against him.

"Chris," she whispered. "I was afraid you wouldn't come back."

He pulled back so he could look into her grey eyes. "It doesn't matter. I don't care what you are. You're still my Ravyn." She smiled at him and opened her mouth to say something, but Adara called to her from the house. She turned slightly to answer.

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything?" she asked, seeing their arms wrapped around each other.

"No, not at all," Ravyn told her, blushing furiously and pulling away from Chris. He let her go reluctantly.

"Reece and I are going for a ride," Adara informed her. "Wanna come?"

"Sure," Ravyn said enthusiastically. "Chris?"

"I've never ridden a horse before," he admitted.

"Well then, you have to come," Adara declared. "Can't have a green rider, not in this house!"

"Come on," Ravyn said, walking out of the room and pulling Chris after her.

"Green?" he asked, clearly confused.

"Beginner," Adara clarified. "I'm thinking Sunspot for you. Don't you think so Ravyn?"

"Yeah, we wouldn't want to put him on one of the elven ones just yet."

"Elven?" Chris repeated, almost in a panic.

* * *

Ravyn twisted in her seat atop Georgian Pie, the half-elven cousin of Wind Dancer, Adara's mount, and Dark Moon, Amarice's horse. Chris, riding behind them, was shifting uncomfortably in the saddle, looking extremely out of place.

She slowed George and waited for Chris to catch up. "You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, but my ass is going to hurt like a son of a bitch tomorrow." She laughed. "It's true!" he protested.

"I know. That's why I'm laughing." She grinned at him. "You're lucky, you know. These horses are so well trained, it's not as bad as it could be. My first ride was much more eventful."

Chris raised an eyebrow.

"Most horses aren't fond of wolves," she told him dryly. "And when you get right down to it, I'm part wolf. It took almost a whole year before George here would let me ride him." She patted the horse's neck.

"Hey, Ravyn," Amarice called from up ahead.

"What?" she called back.

"You in the mood for a picnic?"

"Sure!"

Adara and Amarice pulled their horses off the trail, and began to mutter under their breath in unison as the horses moved through the thick grass that lined the trail.

"What are they doing?" Chris asked Ravyn in a whisper.

"You don't have to whisper," she told him. "They can't hear. They're casting a spell."

"What?"

"They're...oh what's the word she used?—enchantresses! They're enchantresses. Evelyn, too."

"You're joking."

"Nope. And if they're casting the spell I think they're casting, we're going into another world." She peered into the air in front of them. "Yep, that's what they're doing."

"Another world!" Chris exclaimed, incredulous. "But how?"

"I don't know; I can't do it. You see those silver sparkles in the air? That's the sign that the border is opening."

There was no noticeable change in scenery. They were still in a field, but the trail completely disappeared behind them, and the houses and other buildings that had been seen in the distance were gone. If asked, Chris would have been unable to say the exact moment it happened, but suddenly he realized that they weren't there anymore.

"Here we are," Adara said. She swung off her horse and knotted the reins so they wouldn't fall off Dancer's neck, then walked a few feet away. She pondered the ground in front of her as Dancer wandered off, and one by one, the other horses did the same as their riders dismounted.

"Is that a good idea?" Chris asked, gesturing after the horses.

"Don't worry about them," Ravyn said. "They're of elven kind. They'll come back."

"But I thought—"

"Well, Sunspot's just a horse," she added, almost as an afterthought, "but the others will keep him with us."

"But—"

"Don't worry about it Chris. Let's have some lunch."

"I didn't even get breakfast," he muttered.

They turned their attention to Adara, who was waving her hand over the ground. A blanket appeared on top of the grass and a picnic basket on top of it. Amarice said something that sounded like, "Marilf!" and then grinned at Chris.

"Keeps the ants away," she told him and turned back to the blanket.

"There's another one for you two over there," Adara pointed to a spot about ten feet away.

"Trying to get rid of us?"

"Well, no, but...I figured you have some things to talk about that you won't want to do in front of us."

"You're meeting Gary and Rhys, aren't you? That's what this whole picnic is about?"

Both Adara and Amarice had the grace to blush.

"We'll go over there, but don't do anything naughty," Ravyn warned.

"We won't, Mother," Amarice said, her cheeks a brilliant red.

Ravyn shook her head and led Chris to their blanket and basket.

"Who are Gary and Rhys?" he asked.

"Their boyfriends. They live in this world, so they don't get to see each other very often," Ravyn said, rolling her eyes.

"I see," said Chris, though he clearly didn't.

Ravyn opened the picnic basket and began looking through it, talking as she did so. "I can't believe Evelyn let them meet out here by themselves. Though I suppose Gary and Adara are married, aren't they. But Amarice and Rhys are still a little young, so I don't know why Evelyn—why are you laughing?" she asked Chris, who was practically rolling on the ground with laughter.

"You sound like an old woman!" he exclaimed, trying to get his breath back.

She grinned. "I do, don't I? Oh well." She handed him a sandwich. "Are we still on for the mission?" she asked him.

"Mission?" he repeated around a mouthful of bread and ham.

"You know, killing Kraven?"

"Oh! Nearly forgot about that." He swallowed, nodding. "You owe me a kiss, you know."

"What!" Ravyn said. "I do not!" She was blushing almost as red as Amarice had earlier.

"Yes you do. Remember, in the café, when we agreed to do this together? I said, if I got all the other information we needed, you said you would give me one kiss."

"I—I did?" He had scooted closer to her on the blanket and she was having a very hard time focusing.

"You did. So pay up."

"I—Chris, this is hardly the time."

"Why not? _They _aren't paying attention." He gestured to Adara and Amarice, who were sitting with two men on their blanket, looking rather pleased with themselves, and paying no attention to Ravyn and Chris. "And now that I know what you are, and don't care, there's no reason not to."

"Oh, all right," she muttered, and leaned over, giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

"That is not a kiss, Ravyn," he told her flatly.

"What is?" she snapped back.

"This," he said, putting his hand on the back of her head and drawing her closer. Their lips met. Their sandwiches lay forgotten on the blanket. Ravyn's hand moved up to touch his cheek. She'd been kissed before, but nothing like this. There were no words to describe the sweetness rushing through her body from all the places they were touching. He pulled away slightly.

Their eyes met and he whispered, "I love you," and then their lips were together again. Chris's arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer. She lay down on the blanket and pulled him down with her, never giving a single thought to what anyone around them might think.

* * *

A/N: That's it. That's the end of this chapter. What do you think? Please Review!!!


	10. Battle

A/N: I am SOOOOO sorry it took so long to update! I'd kind of forgotten about this. I mean, I didn't forget per se, it just took a long time to write and then I kept forgetting to post…..and yeah. So Sorry! Forgive me? Just to recap: Ravyn (Michael/Selene's daughter with mind-reading powers) is at the house of Evelyn (a mortal with extraordinary magical prowess) and her two daughters (Adara and Amarice, also with magical powers) with her now sort-of boyfriend Chris (a human). Ravyn and Chris are paid assassins who have been hired to kill Kraven. Kraven, with the help of Xareth (Evelyn and her alter-ego Adalon's archenemy), captured Ravyn and Chris, and they just barely got away. Now Chris knows the truth about Ravyn and when we left off they were in the process of making out. Everybody caught up? Okay, on with the story!

Discalimer: I don't own Kraven, Michael, Selene, or any other movie character in this story.

Oh! Forgot to warn you: Evelyn swears a bit in this chapter. She says the F-word twice. Just a head's up.

Chapter Ten: Battle

"You lied to me!" Kraven yelled.

"Pardon?" Xareth said distractedly. He ran the stone along the edge of his sword, sharpening it.

"You told me she wouldn't—" Kraven began.

"I told you that she would be unable to cast a spell on you," Xareth said calmly, continuing to sharpen his sword. "If she escaped, that is your fault, not mine." He paused, and turned a menacing, golden-eyed glare on the vampire. "Did you get the information?"

"Yes," Kraven muttered sulkily.

"Good…"

* * *

"Chris," Ravyn whispered. His lips had moved down to her neck, sucking and teasing at the tender skin there. Her fingers entangled in his hair, holding him to her. His mouth brushed across her jugular, and she felt her fangs emerging. "Chris," she said again, more urgently.

"Hmm?" he murmured against her neck.

"Chris, we have to stop."

Surprised, he pulled away from her. "Ravyn, I thought we—"

"Look," she said, baring her fangs to him. He recoiled slightly at the sight of the pointed white incisors. "Vampires have a tendency to, um, bite when they do things like this," she told him, gesturing to the hickey forming on her neck.

"I see."

"They don't do it all the time," she said. "Just sometimes. And—I don't want that to happen to you."

"I—thanks," he replied. "I appreciate that."

She smiled and said, "You're welcome," wishing her teeth would return to normal so she could stop feeling so awkward.

"Your eyes are blue," he said, sounding surprised.

"Yeah. They do that when the fangs come out. They'll go back to normal in a bit."

"I like them" he told her. "They're very pretty." He reached out to touch her cheek. "Like you."

Ravyn felt like her insides were melting as he touched her and a blush crept into her cheeks. She opened her mouth to reply, but Adara's voice across the field cut her off.

"Time to get going, guys!" she called to them. Ravyn stood quickly, her fangs beginning to slide back into her gums, as the mood was now ruined. Adara packed the remnants of their picnic by magic and called the horses back to them.

They mounted and rode back towards the place where they had first crossed. Adara and Amarice reopened the border with a flurry of silver sparks and they reentered their own world. They reached the stables quickly and took care of the horses.

As they walked back to the house, Ravyn reached over and took Chris's hand. He looked at her and she smiled at him. He smiled back and squeezed her hand.

When they reached the house, Adara adjusted the neck of her shirt before opening the door. Inside, they saw Evelyn standing at the kitchen sink, washing something. She turned when they walked in.

"I'm glad you're back," she said. "It's almost dinner time. What would you—Amarice, _what_ is on your neck!"

Ravyn looked at Amarice and noticed for the hickey on her neck for the first time.

"Young lady, what have I said about hickeys?" Evelyn demanded, hands on her hips, glaring. Ravyn self-consciously adjusted the neck of her own shirt to hide her hickey.

"I…um…well," Amarice stuttered. Next to her, Adara laughed softly.

"Come on guys," she said to Ravyn and Chris. "They'll be at it for a while." She led them out of the kitchen while Amarice looked longingly after them. Evelyn's voice was rising.

Adara led them into the living room. "Have a seat," she said, gesturing to the couch. Ravyn was already sitting, and Chris sat down next to her. "Spill," she commanded. Ravyn raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"You know perfectly well what I mean Ravyn."

"I would think you'd know already," Ravyn countered.

Adara rolled her eyes. "I'm a disciple of the Fates, not one of them! I don't know _everything_."

"I bet you know how Amarice got that hickey."

"Sure I do; I was there. I got one too." She pulled down the collar of her shirt to reveal a hickey in the hollow where her neck met her collarbone. "And I see you have the beginnings of one. So spill."

Chris was completely lost.

Suddenly, there was a crash and Evelyn yelled, "Adara, Ravyn, get in here!" There was another crash, and then, "And bring my sword!"

Adara was already moving, a sword appearing in one hand, and her sais clutched in the other. Ravyn followed her out of the living room, Chris right behind her.

In the kitchen, Evelyn was holding a butcher knife against the throat of a tall, dark-haired man. Amarice stood in the corner, muttering under her breath. Ravyn could her some of what she was saying, and knew that she was holding up a magical shield around the house to prevent any of the neighbors from noticing what was going on.

Adara tossed the sword to Evelyn, who caught it without even looking away from the man.

"Adara," the man said. "So nice of you to join us."

"Fuck off Xareth," Adara said.

_So that's Xareth, _Ravyn thought, looking at the man. She had heard a lot about Evelyn's enemy. He was slightly taller than Evelyn, with brilliant emerald eyes and thick dark hair. There was a sword in a sheath at his waist, but his hands were held away from it.

"I missed you too," Xareth said. Evelyn's lips tightened as he spoke and she pressed the knife harder against his throat.

"You know, Adalon," Xareth continued conversationally. "I would appreciate it if you would move that knife." Then, quick as lightening, he threw a spell at her, forcing her to duck away to avoid being hit. He drew his sword and advanced on her.

"What is it you go by in this world?" he asked. "Evelyn, isn't it?" She had scrambled to her feet, her own sword held at the ready. He struck at her and she parried. "Well, Evelyn, my dear, I've missed you so much, I just had to come here to see you."

"Bastard," Evelyn said through clenched teeth.

"Now that's not very nice," he told her. "Didn't you miss me?"

Evelyn straightened, a smile forming on her face.

"Not even a bit."

She lunged, striking at Xareth. He brought his sword up quickly to block her and she struck again.

"I'm hurt by that, my darling," he said as they fought. "I really am."

"Do I look like I care?"

"You know you do." He paused. "Where's that boy of yours got to? I was hoping to say hello to him too."

"He's out at the moment," Evelyn told him, striking at his head. "He'll be sorry he missed you."

"I doubt that," Xareth replied with a laugh. "Have you told him yet?"

Evelyn's eyes widened. "How the hell did you—goddamn it, you bastard, I swear I'll kill you!" She threw a spell at him and he ducked.

"Tsk, tsk, Adalon. That's no way to treat a guest." He threw a spell back at her and as she ducked, he turned and grabbed Adara around the neck, putting his sword against her skin.

"Now," he said. "I presume I have your attention?" Evelyn nodded, glaring. Her eyes met Adara's and then flicked down to the sais Adara still held in her hands. Adara blinked once, showing she understood.

Xareth opened his mouth to continue, but Adara jammed one of sais into his thigh and he yelled in pain.

"Bitch," he said, clutching at the wound.

"Get out of my house!" Evelyn said, pointing to the door with her sword. "Now!"

Xareth muttered something under his breath and vanished in a column of black flame.

Evelyn breathed a sigh of relief. "You okay?" she asked Adara. Adara nodded. Amarice stopped muttering and let the shield fall. Evelyn lowered her sword and leaned against the wall, breathing hard.

"Must have been a good fight," Amarice muttered.

Adara nodded. "Too bad you missed it."

"How did he get here?" Evelyn muttered. "How in the name of all the gods did he _get _here!" Her voice rose sharply. "Adara, Amarice, go get me that spell we used to seal the border." She waited for a moment. "Now!" The sisters hurried off. Evelyn turned to Ravyn. "You and Chris might want to stay out of the way for a while." She stalked out of the kitchen. Moments later, Ravyn heard her shouting upstairs:

"Where the _hell_ is my spellbook!"

Ravyn left the kitchen, and went back to the living room. Chris followed, looking rather concerned.

"What was that all about?" he asked quietly.

"Let's go downstairs," Ravyn replied.

"But—" Chris began.

"Trust me on this one," Ravyn said. "Evelyn's in a temper and you _do not_ want to her in her way. She might implode your head or something."

She lead the way downstairs to the basement. Down the hall from her room, there was a sewing room that no one ever went in, and she led him in there.

"_Now_ can you tell me what that was?" Chris asked.

She told him, having to stop several times to explain things to him. When she was done, he still looked dazed and confused, but he nodded, and said, "I see," though it was painfully obvious that he didn't.

She laughed and planted a chaste kiss on his lips. "What am I going to do with you?" she asked quietly.

"There are several things I can think of," he replied in a whisper, but the sensual heat in his tone made her shiver with pleasure.

He pulled her to him for a kiss, skillfully teasing her with his mouth. One arm slid around her waist, pulling her closer. The other entangled itself in her raven hair, loving the feel of the silky strands against his skin.

"_What do you mean, there's a loophole!_" A loud voice echoed through the basement from the upstairs. "_What loophole could there possibly be!_"

Ravyn pulled away from Chris at the sound of Evelyn's voice. She heard him sigh softly. She wouldn't have heard it at all, except for her sharp hybrid hearing. She smiled at him.

"I better go see what I can do," she said. She kissed him gently on the cheek. "Come with me?"

"Alright," he said. She took his hand and led him upstairs. Evelyn and Adara were in the dining room, looking at a book and a piece of paper.

"Look at the wording in this spell, Mom," Adara was saying. "_'And through the gate, none of evil intent shall pass.'_ All Xareth had to do was concentrate on good intentions, and the spell let him through."

"Fuck!" Evelyn swore. "Who wrote that spell?"

"You did," Adara and Amarice said together.

"Why did I write it like that?"

Adara and Amarice shrugged.

Evelyn swore again. "What was I _thinking?_" She leaned on the table, looking down at the book.

"You could call Endainme En'Dae," Adara suggested. "She'll have some ideas on how to reword the spell."

Evelyn nodded. "She needs to know about this anyway. If he finds out that there's another Amazon here, he'll probably make an attempt to kill her too." She turned and saw Ravyn and Chris standing in the doorway.

"Ravyn, do me a favor," she said. "Go up to the armory and get my daggers?"

"Sure," Ravyn said. She took Chris's hand and led him upstairs. She walked down the hallway. Near the end, she stopped and opened the door to a closet. Chris stared at the towels and sheets. "Um, Ravyn," he began, looking doubtfully at the contents of the closet.

Ravyn smiled slyly at him, reaching out to press something hidden on the other side of the door. The shelves stacked with towels and sheets moved, revealing another room. Ravyn walked in and gestured. "This is the armory."

There was a table in the corner of the room. On the table, several weapons sets were laid out. Ravyn took a belt with several daggers thrust into it, careful not to touch the blades.

"These are Evelyn's daggers," she told Chris. "They're tipped with poison. Not enough to kill you, but enough to do serious damage, if it gets into your bloodstream."

Chris raised his eyebrows. "Evelyn's got quite the temper, doesn't she?"

Ravyn rolled her eyes. "You have no idea!"

They left the room, and Ravyn shut the door behind them. They walked down the stairs to the kitchen and heard Evelyn talking to someone on the phone.

"No, that's alright," she was saying. "I can handle this. Really, Selene, you don't have to—I understand that, but it's really not—oh for goodness sake, would you let me talk to Michael?" There was a pause and then Evelyn continued, "Would you talk some sense into your wife? Yes, I realize she's upset, but there was never any danger! There is absolutely no need for her to come over here! I know what I'm doing; I've been dealing with Xareth since I was eighteen! Michael, don't you even—Michael!"

She hung up the phone. She sighed heavily, a look of frustration on her face. "Ravyn, you might want to get back to your apartment and make sure it's presentable. Your parents are coming."

* * *

A/N: Quick side note, because I reread this and realized that some of the things Adalon and Xareth said might be a bit confusing. The thing that Xareth is referring to when he says, "Have you told him yet," happens in the Other World, several years in the future. Evelyn had a dream when she was younger that Xareth would kill her husband, Alex. She knows (through a series of events that would take too long to explain) that it was a true vision of the future. Somehow Xareth found out, and he enjoys using it to taunt Adalon. Hope that clears things up!

And now, THANK YOU to my loyal reviewers. I'm so sorry I haven't updated in so long! (These are thanks from reviewers of chapters 8 and 9, by the way)

**Gemxk**: I tried to give Amarice and Evelyn a bit of action in this chapter, but don't worry, they get a lot more later in the story.

**Irish-Chick13**: Thank you so much for your review! I'm glad I've got another regular. Hopefully you'll still enjoy this story after the tremendous amount of time between updates.

**Kesaria:** Thanks, as always.

**Moose**: You know you're my one and only muse. I could never do this without you 3s!

**Physchotic Dementia**: NOT THE FLYING ORANGE REDWOOD STICKS! NOOOO! ANYTHING BUT THAT! I hope you liked this chapter!

**Kit46**: The song in chapter six is by Keith Urban. It's such a pretty song, I love it. I've been waaay to busy to read anything lately, but I promise as soon as I get the time, I will go check your story out! I'm sure it's not as bad as you think.

**Cheifhow**: Thanks so much for your review! It totally made my day!

**Christine Marquez**: Now that I look back over it, I probably should have made him more angsty longer, but I like him better smart. Guys are dumbasses by definition, but I love Chris too much to make him a total dumbass.


	11. Parental Visit

A/N: To recap (because it's been so long) Ravyn, Selene and Michael's hybrid daughter, and her partner Chris have been commissioned by the Chicago Police to kill Kraven. In trying to do so, they were captured by Kraven. After escaping, they go to Evelyn (who taught Ravyn how to use her psychic abilities) to recuperate. Evelyn finds out that Xareth, her enemy from another world, is involved as well. She calls Kestral to tell her what happened and warn her about Xareth. Selene ends up hearing about what happened to her daughter and comes to Chicago for a visit. Which brings us up to the present.

Disclaimer: Don't own. Don't sue. K?

* * *

Chapter Eleven: Parental Visit

"Remember," Ravyn said to Chris, her hand on the door handle, "Don't mention anything about immortals to my parents."

"Calm down," he told her. "Everything will be fine."

Ravyn took a deep breath, put on her best smile, and opened the door. Selene and Michael stood in the hallway outside the apartment. Selene looked more than a little uncomfortable in jeans and a tank top. Ravyn was glad her father had talked her out of wearing her leathers.

Michael stepped inside, kissing his daughter on the cheek and handing her a bottle of wine.

"Hi Daddy," she said, giving him a kiss. She hugged her mother, saying, "Hi, Mum."

Ravyn heard her father say, "Ravyn, who's your friend?" She turned to see Michael gesturing to Chris.

"Oh. Mum, Daddy, this is Chris. My boyfriend," she added. She saw her mother's nose twitch slightly, and knew her parents had noticed Chris's humanity.

A slightly awkward silence followed. Thankfully, Michael smiled warmly and stuck out his hand.

"Michael," he said, shaking Chris's hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Dinner will be soon," Ravyn said, gesturing to the table. "As soon as the meat's done."

The buzzer of the oven went off and Ravyn hurried to get the meat out of the over before it burned.

* * *

When everyone was sitting down and the dishes had been passed around, Selene said, "So what are you doing these days?"

Ravyn took a sip of wine. "Well, not much. I'm an assassin."

Her father choked on his wine.

"Really?" Selene asked, sounding interested.

"Yes," she said, nodding and taking a bite of steak. "I'm part of a guild. Most of the jobs are criminals."

Selene nodded, taking a sip of the wine-blood mixture Ravyn had poured for her.

"What kind of gun do you use?" she asked.

"I don't use guns. Too easily traced." She glanced over at her father, who still looked shocked. "Don't worry, Daddy. They all deserve it."

Michael nodded slowly. "I see."

"What are you doing right now?" Selene asked.

"Well, Chris and I—" she began.

"Chris does this too?" Michael asked, almost choking again.

"We're partners, Daddy," Ravyn told him.

"So…?" Selene prompted.

"Well, right now, we're working on this guy from Budapest," Ravyn said. "I think you know him, Mom."

"Oh really?" she asked, curious.

"His name's Kraven," Ravyn told her, taking a sip of her wine.

Michael choked again. Chris pounded him helpfully on the back.

"Kraven?" Michael exclaimed. "He's here?"

"Ravyn, what are you thinking?" Selene exploded. "You've heard what he's done! You can't go up against him alone!"

Ravyn smiled up at her mother. "I won't be alone. I'll have Chris."

Selene snorted. "Ravyn, he's—" she stopped short.

Ravyn stood, and gestured for her mother to follow her. "Excuse us," she said to her father and Chris. She pulled her mother into the kitchen and said in a hushed voice, "Mother, I have been doing this for a few years now. I know the tricks. I can take Kraven."

"You think a few years experience as a hired killer can help you take out a 600 year old vampire?" Selene hissed. "You aren't even a century old, Ravyn!"

"It's not like I'm going in there alone, Mum!" Ravyn said.

"You think a mere human is going to protect you?" Selene demanded incredulously. "I don't think you really understand what you're up against!"

"And I don't think you understand how capable I am," Ravyn shot back. "I can do this, Mom."

Selene sighed and shook her head.

"Do you want me to show you?"

"What?"

"Let's go. Right now. Let me show you what I'm capable of."

Selene stared at her daughter uncomprehendingly for a moment, then nodded. "Alright."

"Let me go get changed," Ravyn said. She hurried out of the kitchen into her bedroom and pulled on her black skirt and tank top. She dug through her closet until she found the black stilettos she was looking for and shoved her feet into them. She ran a brush through her hair quickly and walked back into the dining room. Selene was waiting, dressed in her leathers, and Ravyn could see the outline of a gun against her mother's hip.

"Ready?" she asked Selene.

"Where are you going?" Michael asked, a note of concern in his voice.

"To kick some ass."

* * *

Selene looked at the entrance to the nightclub skeptically. "In there?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

Ravyn nodded. "Trust me, Mom," she said. "This is the best place to find people."

"I thought you said you did things by contract?" Selene asked.

"I avoid killing for fun, if that's what you mean," Ravyn told her. "But there are a few people who the Guild's been after for a while that no one's ever gotten around to killing yet. Mostly rogue assassins who put the rest of us in danger of exposure." She handed the guard at the door enough money to get the two of them in, sliding briefly into his mind so he wouldn't see Selene's guns, and then continued, "You see, the police know about us, but not 'officially'. If we let the rogues get too out of hand, then the police will have no choice but to shut us down. So every now and again, a Guild member will take one out as an example to the rest."

Ravyn had killed a rogue or two in her time as an assassin. She enjoyed the challenge of it, but she lost all pleasure in it when it came time to kill the rogue. Most of them were fun to fight, though. Many knew her by reputation, and some on sight. Few were fooled by her human guise and most were experienced fighters.

Selene nodded in understand. "How are we doing this then?"

Ravyn grinned a feral, predatory grin of a creature that is looking forward to the hunt. "You came here to watch your little girl work," she said. "So you watch, I work."

She slid into the crowd, both physically and mentally. She moved to the music, not drawing attention to herself as she searched the crowd for a rogue. She found several, but one caught her eye—or rather, her mind. The things she found there made her shudder with distaste. She withdrew from his mind quickly, leaving a small amount of power behind so she could find him.

She looked around the room, searching for the ebony glow that would mark her victim. She found it, hovering around a small man with a face like a rat and a scraggly beard. He leaned against the bar, watching the dancers. He was obviously looking for someone, though she avoided going into his mind to see who.

She stepped into his view, blocking out the rest of the dancers. He looked surprised and Ravyn took advantage of that to ask him to dance, grabbing his hand and pulling him after her before he could agree or decline.

She put her arms around his neck, dancing close, letting him feel the curves of her body. He grinned wolfishly, putting his hands on her hips. She slid carefully into his mind and saw immediately that he knew who she was. That didn't surprise her. What surprised her was how.

But she put her shock aside, and whispered into his mind, _You've been looking for me._

"I have," he agreed. "And now I've found you."

He didn't betray any shock at her speaking to him mentally in his expression or his voice, but Ravyn was in his mind, and felt his inner fear. She held back another feral grin. Mind-to-mind speech was a disconcerting thing, which was why she continued to speak mentally, wanting to throw him off balance.

_You want to fight me._

"And I will win," he said confidently.

She laughed silently in his mind, letting the soft feral laughter of a wolf reverberate through his head.

_We shall see._

Abruptly, she turned, and left the club, catching her mother's eye, and gesturing for her to follow. Selene did, and Ravyn made sure the man didn't see her mother leaving.

The man followed her out, and she led him to the alley where she had killed her most recent victim, occasionally speaking into the man's mind and laughing the low laugh of a wolf, knowing it put him off balance.

She arrived at the ally quickly and waited for him, altering her appearance slightly. She made her hair appear to be a pale silver, and her gray eyes to glow red. She let her vampire fangs slide out into view. She intended to scare this man out of his wits.

He arrived and recoiled at the sight of her.

_Come to me, _she whispered in his mind.

"Holy shit. What are you?"

_You wanted to fight me,_ she said. _Now fight. Fight for your life, Jeremiah Galway. _

"How do you know my name?" he asked hoarsely.

Ravyn didn't answer, only grinned and attacked with a roundhouse kick, knocking him to the ground.

_Stand and fight, Jeremiah. Fight or die._

He got up and lunged at her, aiming a punch at her face. She dodged, aiming a punch of her own towards his stomach. He stumbled backwards, hunched over, and Ravyn waited for his next attack.

He straightened, and seem to steel himself against fighting one of the undead, and attacked again. From somewhere in his clothes, he had produced twin daggers and he attacked, blades ready to slash her open. Ravyn jumped back, grinning.

_You'll never get me with those blades,_ she said in his mind. _You're nowhere near fast enough._

Calling on speed bred from immortality, she rushed behind him and jumped, her feet landing squarely between his shoulder blades.

_How can you fight an opponent you can't even see? _

Suddenly she was in front of him and he lashed out in desperation born out of fear with his knives, trying to strike her somewhere—anywhere, but she was prepared for it. She scuffed the heal of her shoe on the pavement, then brought it up to connect solidly with his chest.

A look of surprised flashed across his face, and he looked down at his chest, his daggers falling from his hands.

"How...?" he whispered, and she jerked her foot free. He fell forward and Selene stepped out of the shadows.

"Efficient," she said approvingly as Raven pressed an invisible button on the bottom of her shoe which pulled the knife installed in the heel back in with a snap.

"American movies have some good ideas," Ravyn answered, kicking the body over.

Blood came from the man's chest, and unbidden, Ravyn's fangs came out. She could tell her mother's hunger was aroused by the smell as well.

She controlled the urge, however. She hadn't fed too long ago, and she didn't need to drain this man. Selene, however, rarely had real blood and she bent to feed. Ravyn looked away while her mother drank from her kill.

* * *

Ravyn opened the door to the apartment with a broad grin on her face. On the way back, she and Selene had talked, and Ravyn had convinced her to let her have a go at Kraven alone.

As soon as the door had opened, Michael and Chris looked up from their game of poker, in which they appeared to be using chocolate chips as betting material. Chris smiled at her, but Michael's face darkened. Ravyn could tell that he knew what she had done, could smell the blood on her and on Selene.

Selene sensed it too, and crossed the hallway to him quickly.

"Michael," she said. "Calm down. Let us explain."

"Who?" he asked in an undertone. Chris looked at Ravyn, and suddenly understood that she hadn't gone to show her mother she could fight, but to show her that she could kill.

"A rogue," Ravyn said quickly. "A Guild defector. Not an innocent."

"Ravyn, don't you tell me—"

"Dad! Listen to me! This man has killed many people, and few of them deserving. He was not a good person," Ravyn told him, knowing that her father had a very strong sense of moral decency, and was not going to approve of this no matter who the man was.

"He still had a family, Ravyn!" Michael said, his voice slowly rising. "He had a family! And friends! Your mother has killed people who didn't deserve it. Does that make her a bad person?"

Selene looked shocked. "Michael? What are you saying?"

"I am saying that it was a bad idea to kill someone to show off and to feed. Wasn't that outlawed, Selene? By your own sire?"

"Do not bring him into this," Selene said through clenched teeth.

"And you, Ravyn," Michael continued. "I thought we raised you to be better than this. Instead, I come here to find that my own daughter is little more than a common killer! A leader of sheep to the slaughter! Just like every other vampire ever to walk this earth."

Ravyn gaped at him for a moment, not realizing that tears were filling her eyes. As soon as she did, she left, running out of the apartment as fast as she could, trying to get away.

* * *

Behind her, Selene and Michael yelled at each other, their eyes flickering back and forth between human and beast. Chris watched them with fearful fascination as Selene's fangs were bared and her eyes flashing icy blue and then dark brown. Michael's skin was slightly mottled and his eyes were more black than anything else. He could not control the change as much as Selene could, and they both seemed to have forgotten him.

He waited for a few more minutes, and then, as calmly as he could, said, "I'm going to look for Ravyn."

They both stopped mid-sentence and stared at him. Chris could practically see the word _food_ going through their minds as they looked at him.

_Well, humans are their natural prey,_ he thought humorlessly.

Selene nodded and said, "You're right. We should look for her." There was a slight clip to her voice that hadn't been there before; the fangs affected her patterns of speech. Michael couldn't seem to speak at all, only nod dumbly. His lips were protruding oddly, and Chris would venture to guess that he was hiding a mouthful of canine teeth.

"Then let's go."

* * *

Ravyn stopped when she realized she didn't know where she was. Tears stained her cheeks, and her eyes were read and puffy with crying. Her feet ached from running in heels and she looked around for a place to sit down.

The street corner where she stood was well-lit by streetlamps. A bench seemed to wait for her just outside the circle of light. She sat down with a sigh, burying her face in her hands. Sobs shook her body as she cried.

"Poor Ravyn," said a voice in her ear as hands descended on her shoulders. "Did you have a fight with your human?"

She twisted around and saw Kraven standing behind her. She surged to her feet, aches and pains forgotten, as she demanded, "What are you doing here? What do you want?"

"You, my dear Ravyn," he said, smirking. "And, by extension, your mother."

"What—" Ravyn started, but was cut off by a calloused hand pressing over her mouth and a strong arm wrapping itself around her middle, effectively pinning her arms to her sides. She struggled against her captor, but, whoever he was, he was strong enough to hold her. She stopped and felt his grip relax slightly. Immediately, she brought her foot up to connect with his groin.

He released her with a groan of pain and she sped away. Swearing violently, Kraven followed her.

Ravyn was fast but Kraven was older and stronger. He caught up to her and knocked her to the ground. Her head connected solidly with the curb and she knew no more.

* * *

Selene and Michael followed Ravyn's scent through the dark streets of the city, Christ trailing behind and feeling useless. They didn't even need him to carry a flashlight, he reflected bitterly, because they could see in the dark.

Michael stopped at a street corner and sniffed the air like a dog.

"Do you smell that?" he asked Selene.

She nodded. "Blood."

"Whose?" Chris asked immediately.

Michael didn't answer, walking and sniffing away from the corner out of the yellow light of the streetlamps. He stopped a few yards away and Selene went to him immediately. She bent down and touched something on the ground she put her fingers first to her nose, then to her lips.

"It's hers," she confirmed solemnly. "From a head wound, unless I miss my guess."

"Kraven," Michael said darkly.

"You can smell him too?"

"Yes."

"You mean Kraven has her?" Chris asked incredulously.

Selene nodded grimly.

Christ turned on his heel and began to run back to the apartment. Michael and Selene followed.

When he reached it, Christ grabbed Ravyn's keys from where she had left them by the door and her cell phone from the dresser. Selene and Michael watched and followed as he ran down to the garage of her building and then comprehension seemed to dawn on them.

"I'll drive," Selene said in a tone the brooked no argument. Chris tossed her the keys, ignoring Michael's groan.

They got in the car and as Selene recklessly drove out of the garage at a higher speed than was really necessary, Chris hoped this wasn't a mistake. He gave Selene directions out of the city and then turned his attention to Ravyn's phone.

He scrolled through her contacts until he found the name he was looking for: Evelyn. He pushed the "call" button and waited impatiently as the phone rang.

After four rings, Evelyn picked up.

"Hello?"

"Evelyn, it's Chris. Ravyn's friend."

There was a pause on the other end and then Evelyn said, "Oh! The human! What's up?"

Christ wondered slightly at her use of the word "human" as though she wasn't really human herself, but said only, "It's Ravyn. Kraven's got her."

"Shit."

"Yeah. We need your help."

"I should think so. Who's we?"

"Me. And Ravyn's parents."

"Right. Are you on your way?"

"Yes."

"We'll be ready."

* * *

Ravyn woke feeling very uncomfortable. It took her a moment to figure out why. Her head ached, and she could feel the trail of blood running from a cut there, down her cheek and neck. Her hands were bound to the wall behind her with cold iron. She tested them. They didn't budge. There was no way she'd be able to wriggle out of them this time. She tried to look around and the movement made her head hurt more. She moaned slightly as fresh wave of pain washed over her.

"Awake, I see?" Kraven's voice drawled from across the room. Through the darkness, her immortal sight could make out his form sitting in a chair. She wished she were sitting. Her feet felt like a mass of blisters. But her hands were bound to the wall, effectively preventing her from sitting.

"What do you want, Kraven?" she asked.

"Didn't I tell you that already? Well, no matter. Your mother will be here soon enough. And maybe that human of yours as well. Tell me, is he as bad in bed as he looks?"

Headache forgotten, Ravyn lunged forward, fangs out, hissing.

Kraven smirked at her and stood, crossing the room to stand just out of her reach.

"Perhaps I shall take you to my bed as well as Selene," he drawled. "You seem to be as passionate as her. And probably as tasty."

Ravyn bared her fangs at him and he gave her an evil grin over his shoulder as he left.

* * *

The tires squealed as Selene pulled into the driveway. Adara waited for them at the front door, a grim expression on her face. She nodded greetings to them before leading them into the kitchen. Evelyn was calmly cutting up a piece of meat. Chris stared at her. She looked very odd.

A dagger lay beside the cutting board and a sword was sheathed at her waist. She wore a long slit skirt and a tank top. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a braid wound around her head like a crown. She looked like a woman out of legend and very out of place in such a domestic setting.

Selene seemed to think so too. "What are you doing?"

"Preparing," Evelyn said calmly.

"Preparing what? Dinner?"

"A spell, actually. One of the few spells I do that requires blood."

Selene narrowed her eyes suspiciously, but said nothing else.

Amarice came into the room, and she too was dressed oddly. She wore long pants, boots, and a tank top. Chris could see daggers peeking over the tops of her boots and he was willing to bet that she had many more hidden in her clothes. Her hair was bound back in a bun with chopsticks stuck through it.

"Hey Mom," she said. "Have we got any willow bark?"

"It's in the spice drawer. Near the back," Evelyn replied. She had placed a piece of wire mesh over a bowl and was pressing the meat against the mesh, forcing out the blood.

"Thanks," Amarice replied, leaving with the small jar of willow bark.

Evelyn poured the blood into a pot and placed the lid on it.

"That just needs to simmer for a bit. Now, if you'll follow me, I've got some weapons for you."

"Weapons?" Michael repeated.

"We have weapons," Selene said, drawing her trench coat aside to reveal her Berettas.

Evelyn grinned and something in her smile reminded Chris that she wasn't as normal as she appeared. "Not like these."

She led them upstairs to the weapons room through the linen closet and even Selene looked a little impressed.

"Now then," Evelyn said, crossing to one wall and inspecting a sword she found there. "You won't only be fighting Kraven, but possibly a man named Xareth. I'll do my best to keep him occupied, but it may be that I can't do that. In that case, one of my girls will take care of him. Unless things get much messier than I think they will, Xareth shouldn't be too much of a problem for you.

"But just in case, you should know that Xareth is pretty much as immortal as yourselves, if not more. I doubt bullets will have much effect on him. A sword to the heart, though, will kill anyone, immortal or not."

Selene frowned. "Swords are really not my forte," she said. She knew how to use one, but she wasn't as good with one many other vampires, Kraven included.

"I've never used one," Michael confessed.

Evelyn frowned at them. "You guys really haven't thought this through very much, have you?"

Selene didn't answer, and Michael shook his head.

"You don't have a plan, do you?"

"No," Selene said shortly, her patience growing thin.

"Good thing I do then, isn't it?" Evelyn said with a grin. She loved a good challenge and, looking at Selene, she was wiling to bet the older vampire did too.

This was going to be interesting.

A/N: I just want to say I'm sooo sorry it took so long. I'm going to update faster, I promise. I'm on summer break right now, and I fully plan to have this completed by the time school starts. So there!

Reviews:

**Kit46**: Hope I didn't disappoint with this update. I'm continuing now, I swear! Thanks for reviewing and please keep doing so!

**pure-undead-pyra**: Glad you like it! Thanks for reviewing and please keep doing so! I'll love you forever!

**TheMoosey**: My dear, you don't count as a loyal reviewer because you are _above_ a loyal reviewer. You are the queen, the muse, the inspiration. So stop complaining! You know you're the best.

**Irish-Chick13:** Thanks! You're one of the reasons I'm continuing this story. So please keep reading and reviewing and I swear by all that is right and good in the world to update faster!

**Khayla: **Never apologize for long reviews, my dear. You know they make my day. And you leave Rocketboy out of this! He's innocent! Not to mention adorable and straight! happy sigh

**Please Review! **Reviews make writers happy and happy writers write faster!


End file.
